Regional Strategic Plan
Adopted April 29, 2010 Table of Contents Chapter 1- Introduction 1
Chapter 2- Implementation Actions 12
Chapter 3- Future Land Use Plan 27
Chapter 4- Transportation Plan 77
Chapter 5- Economic Development Plan 92
Chapter 6- Housing Plan 109
Chapter 7- Community Facilities Plan 122
Chapter 8- Natural & Cultural Resources Plan 140
Chapter 9- Agriculture Plan 152
Appendices:
Background Profiles 158 Demographic Profile Existing Land Use Profile Transportation Profile Economic Profile Housing Profile Community Facilities Profile Natural & Cultural Resources Profile Water Resources Profile
Municipalities’ Objectives & Strategies 242
Implementation Actions Funding Sources Information 259
Community Survey Executive Summary 276
Municipalities’ Implementation Memorandum of Understanding 280
Strategic Plan Communication Plan 284 Chapter 1 - Introduction
Overview Introduction
The communities of Elizabethtown Borough and Conoy, Mount Joy and West Donegal Townships are a region unlike any other. While physically located Implementation within the boundary of Lancaster County, this region has carefully built an identity that both connects it to and sets it apart from the two metro areas – Land Use Lancaster and Harrisburg – that are its closest geographic neighbors. Those who live or work here know the region’s long enjoyed independence and Transportation strength is a function of its people, economy and institutions.
Economic While other regions within Lancaster County – and across the Commonwealth Development of Pennsylvania – were just starting to learn about the upside of intergovernmental cooperation, these communities were already reaping Housing the benefits. Regional initiatives to improve water and sanitary sewer utility infrastructure, increase public safety and emergency services, and enhance Community Facilities quality of life through community and economic development are just some of the examples of the meaningful collaborations underway here. They have Natural & Cultrual learned through trial and error that working together will be the key to the Resources region’s success and sustainability. Through the creation of the Regional Strategic Plan, which will serve as Elizabethtown Borough’s and Conoy, Agricultural Mount Joy, and West Donegal Townships’ regional comprehensive plan,
the municipalities further demonstrate a clear understanding that critically Appendix important service delivery, environmental, economic, utility and transportation systems are regional by nature and their proper planning, development, and management will only improve with a regional perspective.
1 Regional Setting
Conoy Township, Elizabethtown Borough, Mount Joy Township and West Donegal Township are located in the Northwestern portion of Lancaster County. The planning region is surrounded by York County to the west, and Dauphin and Lebanon Counties to the north. East Donegal Township and Mount Joy Borough are located to the south of the planning region and Rapho Township is located to the east of the planning region. There are several major roadways that traverse the planning region including Routes 283, 441, 743 and 230. Aside from these major roadways the planning region contains a rail line that connects the region to urban centers such as Lancaster City, Philadelphia and New York City.
The planning region also contains several major waterways including the Susquehanna River, Conoy Creek, Conewago Creek, Donegal Creek, Snitz Creek and Little Chickies Creek. Both Conewago Creek and Conoy Creek were identified in the Lancaster County Conservancy’s 2004 Long Range Plan as being areas of importance for natural resource protection.
The majority of the region is serviced by Elizabethtown Area School District with a very small portion of the region serviced by Donegal School District. Several private schools also offer service to the region including Kraybill Mennonite School, Mt. Calvary Christian School and Saint Peters Parochial School.
The region also possesses several destination points that attract not only residents of the planning region but many from outside the region. Such unique destination points include Elizabethtown College, Masonic Village,
2 Elizabethtown Fairgrounds, Pennsylvania Highlands, and the Susquehanna River.
Strategic Plan Purpose
The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) calls for municipalities in the Commonwealth to prepare or update comprehensive plans every ten (10) years. Such plans are intended to identify issues facing communities and to lay out those steps that are to be taken to address them and shape a community’s desired future.
The MPC also provides for multiple municipalities to plan together in recognition that land uses and their impacts, and community life and its issues transcend municipal boundaries. Given the region’s tradition of collaboration among its municipalities, the four municipalities determined that a regional plan was appropriate.
Further, as noted above, the region stands somewhat on its own between the larger metropolitan areas of Harrisburg and Lancaster. This and previous planning efforts have also identified strong potential for the region to grow and prosper in the future. The region’s municipalities have demonstrated a capacity to take charge of their future and carry out the projects, programs, and initiatives to move their communities and the region forward. Conoy Township, Elizabethtown Borough, Mount Joy Township, and West Donegal Township are eager to take the next steps in pursuit of their future and have prepared this Strategic Plan to be used as a tool with that goal in mind.
3 Strategic Plan Format
This plan document is formatted to be strategic in nature and focuses on identifying major issues that affect the region and identifying priority actions to address those issues. The Strategic Plan is organized into nine (9) chapters: Introduction, Implementation Actions, Future Land Use, Transportation, Economic Development, Housing, Community Facilities, Natural and Cultural Resources, and Agriculture. Chapters 4 through 9 follow the format below:
• Overview - existing conditions, local/regional trends, key challenges facing the municipalities of the region including strategic issues assessment for each chapter;
• Goal - an overarching goal is identified for each chapter;
• Ongoing Strategic Regional Priorities - these will be those initiatives felt to be urgent for the region to pursue and in progress. Details will include the specific actions to be taken to address identified
issues and achieve the stated goal, who will be responsible for the actions, target dates for completion, sources of funding to support the actions, and identification of potential partners and stakeholders to work with;
• Regional Priorities To Be Pursued – those initiatives deemed to be important to address identified issues and achieve the stated goal, and to be pursued following adoption of the Strategic Plan
by the region’s four municipalities.
4 An Appendix of background information follows these plan chapters. The Appendix includes the Background Profiles that describe existing demographics: current housing; transportation; economic, natural and cultural resources; land use conditions; and community facilities in the region. Objectives and strategies identified by each municipality for each plan chapter topic are listed along with details of the funding sources identified for the Ongoing Regional Implementation Priorities. Also found in the Appendix are the results of the Community Survey, the Implementation Memorandum of Understanding among the region’s municipalities, and the Regional Communication Plan used by the municipalities to publicize the Strategic Plan and to collaborate with each other in the Strategic Plan’s implementation.
Strategic Plan Approach
A collaborative effort involving Conoy Township, Elizabethtown Borough, Mount Joy Township and West Donegal Township officials, staff, Steering Committee, residents as well as Lancaster County Staff and a planning consultant was the foundation for the Regional Strategic Plan of 2009. Residents and Steering Committee members identified issues early in the planning process by attending a public meeting held at the Elizabethtown Area Middle School on May 22, 2008. Residents were able to learn more about the Regional Plan at the August 2008 Elizabethtown Fair at a booth manned by members of the Steering Committee. Residents also had the opportunity to rate community services sufficiency and issues facing the region through two instruments: a written residents survey conducted in August 2005 for Conoy Township residents; and, a written Community Survey conducted in the fall of 2008 by the Committee for the broader region.
5 Steering Committee members focused on selecting goals, objectives, and implementing actions that would aim at addressing the issues that were identified throughout the planning process. The Steering Committee was made up of elected officials, planning commission members, municipal staff, and residents of each of the four municipalities selected by the elected body of each municipality. The Steering Committee directed the tone and content of the Plan, meeting on a monthly basis from December 2007 to April 2009.
Strategic Plan Direction
Early on in the planning process, the Steering Committee identified quality of life as an important marker for determining the success of this Strategic Plan. Moreover, over 90% of the respondents to the Community Survey rated the quality of life in the Elizabethtown region as good or excellent. As a result, the Steering Committee placed great emphasis on objectives and implementation priorities that would address the variety of quality of life components in the region.
The following aspects of community life drew a great deal of attention from the Committee:
• Traffic congestion (traffic congestion at peak times was identified as a “significant problem” by 47.6% of the Community Survey respondents). A complete list and map of traffic improvements to be pursued by the region’s municipalities and to address traffic congestion and safety are highlighted in the Transportation Plan
chapter based on recent transportation capital improvements planning in the region. 6 • Alternate modes of transportation/recreation (68% of Community Survey respondents supported the development of a regional trail system). The Steering Committee developed a comprehensive conceptual regional trail system map as part of its Transportation work. Mass transit including train service to and from the region was also emphasized.
• Regional cooperation (85% of Community Survey respondents favored intermunicipal cooperation in the provision of services in the region). The Committee recognized an ability to get much more done through collaboration. Past successes in regional police, wastewater treatment, water supply, recreation, and emergency response and this cooperative planning effort served as the foundation for additional collaborative priorities in the Strategic Plan as well as the start of several collaborative initiatives during the planning process.
• Agricultural preservation/future land use/housing (72.2% of survey respondents felt that housing in the region is growing “a little too fast” or “much too fast”). The municipalities studied carefully the use of Transferable Development Rights (TDRs) as a tool to facilitate housing
development in the heart of Elizabethtown Borough and other designated growth areas in the region and to facilitate agricultural lands preservation in outlying areas of the Townships.
Regional Vision – drawing on these and other important aspects of community life identified through the Community Survey and the entire planning process, the region’s municipalities determined the following vision for the region’s future:
7 “The region will pursue a course of action that enables it to be a key contributor to Lancaster County and the greater South Central Pennsylvania region while retaining its own unique identity. The region’s municipalities will collaborate in those ways that best achieve efficiency and adequacy of service while dealing with the regional challenges of transportation, housing, economic development, land use, cultural and natural resources, and community facilities. Land use will be coordinated with transportation and community facilities such that traffic moves efficiently, new development, redevelopment, and infill development is adequately serviced and takes place in designated growth areas targeted to meet the housing and economic development desires of the region, and such development occurs in harmony with the cultural and natural resources and character of the region. A variety of housing styles and choices that provide affordably priced and accessible housing will be provided for all who wish to live here. The services of such institutions as Elizabethtown College, Donegal and Elizabethtown Area School Districts, and Masonic Village will contribute significantly to the region’s desirability. A region will evolve that due to new development, redevelopment, and infill development contains an economically vibrant and physically accessible Elizabethtown Borough at its core. At the same time, the region’s three Townships will each emerge as their own unique balance of mixed use areas (suburban and village style), nodes of commerce (industrial parks and commercial centers), and characteristic agrarian lands (farms and historic/cultural resources).
The chapters that follow in this Plan spotlight the implementation actions that are necessary to achieve this vision. Numerous new zoning provisions
8 to be considered will help to coordinate future land use with community facilities and to create a variety of housing types that help to meet the needs of all incomes and age groups. Substantial transportation planning has already taken place in the region such that a host of transportation improvements have been given high priority in this plan to achieve the region’s goal of moving traffic efficiently. Collaborative efforts such as a regional Transferable Development Rights (TDR) program are spelled out in this plan that will help the region meet its agricultural preservation and economic development goals. People and their communities “plan to take action” and this plan is clearly focused on getting things done. Acknowledgements
Conoy Township, Elizabethtown Borough, Mount Joy Township and West Donegal Township wish to thank their residents and everyone who participated in this planning effort for their interest and commitment to the future of the region.
Municipal Elected Officials:
Conoy Township – Supervisors Chair Stephen L. Mohr, Supervisors Vice Chair Clyde H. Pickel, Gina R. Mariani, John L. Shearer, Robert F. Strickland
Elizabethtown Borough – Mayor Robert Brain, Council President Meade Bierly, Council Vice President Phil Clark, Chuck Mummert, Jeff McCloud, C. Dale Treese, Tom Shaud
9 Mount Joy Township – Supervisors Chair David W. Sweigart, Supervisors Vice Chair Gerald G. Cole, Ralph P. Miller, Don L. Bosserman, Charles G. Bailey, Jr.
West Donegal Township – Supervisors Chair Nancy Garber, Supervisors Vice Chair Charlie Tupper, Roger Snyder, Clair Hilsher, Steve Speers
Steering Committee Members:
Conoy Township – Kendra Mohr, Mike Skelly, Robert Strickland
Elizabethtown Borough – Derrick McDonald, Roni Ryan, C. Dale Treese, Peter Whipple
Mount Joy Township – Gerald Becker, Gerald G. Cole, Alyson Earl, Casey Kraus, Brandon Williams
West Donegal Township – Nancy Garber, Donald Kreider, Wayne Miller, Roger Snyder, Nick Viscome
Donegal School District – Jim Morrisey
Elizabethtown Area School District – Amy Hodges Slamp, Troy Portser
Elizabethtown College – Caroline Lalvani
Masonic Village – Patrick Sampsell
10 Lancaster County Staff Members: Tara Hitchens Dean Severson
Planning Consultant: RETTEW Associates
11 Chapter 2 - Implementation
Overview Introduction
The key element to all planning that is done as part of a Strategic Plan is implementation – taking action to carry out the goals and objectives set out Implementation in a Plan. Implementation actions are those steps to be taken as an answer to the question “what is the region going to do about the issues facing the Land Use region described in the topical Plan Chapters 3 through 9. While the region’s municipalities and partners such as the Elizabethtown Area School District, Transportation Elizabethtown College, and Masonic Village will lead implementation efforts, taking the steps to make the region the best place it can be is a responsibility Economic shared by nearly everyone who lives or works in the region. Development
Below are set out regional implementation priorities that overlap Plan topics Housing and will help the region reach multiple goals. Each Plan chapter also includes Regional Development Priorities that should be reviewed and evaluated when Community Facilities setting priorities for future actions. Among the implementation priorities are a first ever Regional Official Map of roadway improvements, trail system, and Natural & Cultural other community facilities; zoning ordinances modifications; and scheduling Resources of roadway improvements. Agricultural It is important to note that significant implementing actions have been initiated by the region as part of the planning process, even prior to the Appendix adoption of the Comprehensive Plan. These include regional transportation planning to prioritize funding for road and bridge improvements, adoption of a communications plan which ensures effective regional communication throughout the implementation of the plan, and development of a regional trails network which will provide access to neighborhood and regional recreational opportunities.
12 The first two actions that should be pursued in implementing the recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan subsequent to its adoption are the establishment of the Regional Planning Authority and the development of an intermunicipal implementation agreement. These two actions will provide the formal structure for prioritizing regional actions to implement the Comprehensive Plan. The Regional Planning Authority will be responsible for monitoring progress made on these initiatives and reporting its findings to the region’s elected officials and planning commissions on a regular basis.
The following table identifies specific plan implementation tasks and who is responsible for initiating and completing the project, as well as the projected time frame for completion of the project. Finally, potential funding sources for task completion are also included.
Please note that each chapter is pulled out below, but many of the projects cross chapter boundaries and could be implemented as a means to meeting a goal within another chapter.
The projects below are color coded based on the following:
Yellow – all four municipalities Green – Elizabethtown Borough Orange – Mount Joy Township Pink – the three Townships Blue – West Donegal Township
13 Regional Plan-The following are implementation efforts that will be required in order to move forward this regional planning document and establish a regional approach to implementation.
Plan Project Name Project Details Responsible Reasoning for Target Completion Funding Element/ Party Project Date Sources Objective Intermunicipal Establish the roles, All the Prioritize regional 01/2010 To be the Implementation responsibilities, and municipalities implementation responsibility of Agreement logistics of jointly within the actions each municipality implementing this Region and review regional plan developments of regional impact Regional Planning Constitute a regional All the Establish a Establish by 06/2010, To be the Agency planning and municipalities framework to then on-going responsibility of development entity within the implement the each municipality Chapter 5, Page to provide advocacy, Region Intermunicipal 99 planning and Implementation implementation capacity, Agreement and technical assistance prioritize actions and financial resources toward the completion of significant projects within this plan and that come up as the planning time frame moves forward for the region Regional Municipal managers, All the Coordinate On-going No overall funding Communication transportation group municipalities municipal actions source necessary, Meetings and elected officials within the across the region municipalities joint meetings are Region and inform each must be willing Chapter 3, Pages held regularly to municipality of to allow staff to 64-65 maintain priorities and status of ongoing attend meetings communicate direction to projects and meeting space implementing entities within one of the municipalities is necessary 14 Transportation Plan- One of the central elements of this Comprehensive Plan is to provide for a regional vision and regional solutions to transportation issues. As stated above, the four participating municipalities have already initiated efforts to regionally plan for transportation improvements. The following recommendations comprehensively address a full range of transportation modes- auto, rail, bus, and non-motorized options.
Plan Project Name Project Details Responsible Reasoning for Target Funding Element/ Party Project Completion Sources Objective Date Regional Official Exhibit approximate All of the Region’s Coordinate 06/2010, with LUPTAP Map road improvements municipalities improvements amendments as LMRDP and desired community that have a needed Chapter 3, Page facilities improvements regional impact 66
Plan and Traffic Congestion Construct improvements One, some or all Coordinate 2010-2020 TIP and LRTP Construct Relief Projects including intersection of the Region’s transportation CMAQ Road turn lanes and municipalities, improvements MTG Improvements Chapter 4, Page realignments, road PennDOT, so that funding 85 extensions, roadway Lancaster County is directed to widening, and new road Transportation the highest connections per the Authority, local priority projects Regional Transportation businesses, private throughout the Improvements Map in property owners region Chapter 5 and the 2006 Regional Transportation Study Plan and Trails/Non- Prepare regional trail One, some or all of the Increase 2010-2020 PA DCNR Construct a motorized system plan and map Region’s municipalities, connectivity and FHA TE Pedestrian and pathways and construct priority PennDOT, Lancaster walkability within UEF Bicycling Trail connectivity segments (THIS COULD County Transportation and between System BE PART OF THE Authority, Lancaster the region’s County Planning Chapter 4, Page REGIONAL OFFICIAL neighborhoods Commission, local 86 MAP) businesses, private and communities property owners
15 Plan Project Name Project Details Responsible Reasoning for Target Funding Element/ Party Project Completion Sources Objective Date Elizabethtown Renovate and expand Elizabethtown Enhance the 12/2012 MTG Train Station and the Elizabethtown train Borough will lead this Elizabethtown UEF Satellite Parking station including access, effort station as one LMRDP Initiative parking, lighting, and of the fastest TIP and LRTP safety upgrading and growing stops FHA TE Plan and Chapter 5, Page restoration of the existing on the Keystone Implement 100 station, surrounding Corridor Transit site improvements, and Improvements satellite parking for regional commuters Establish formal Identify and develop Mount Joy Township Provide for safe 12/2011 MTG park and ride appropriate locations may take the lead and controlled UEF facilities for formal park and ride on this effort, but areas to facilitate Private Partners locations, most likely in the Region should park and ride close proximity to Route consider other sites services Chapter 4, Page 283 when necessary 89
Future Land Use Plan - The Region possesses a diverse and vibrant mix of land uses, including extremely productive agricultural land, centers for commercial, industrial and institutional uses, historic villages, and a borough which serves as the hub for the region. The goal of the future land use plan is to maintain this mix of land uses and to plan for future growth in a phased and coordinated manner. The overriding intent of the Future Land Use Plan is to carefully determine what the forecasted growth needs of the region are and phase in this development over time. Future growth in the Region must be planned in concert with the services and facilities needed to support this growth.
The following recommended implementing actions, including guidance on rezoning parcels of land, development of a regional official map, development of TDR programs, plans for Elizabethtown’s redevelopment and others, will all lead to coordinated and balanced growth throughout the Region.
16 Plan Element/ Project Name Project Details Responsible Reasoning for Target Funding Objective Party Project Completion Sources Date Adopt rezoning The three Townships To implement the recommendations within the Region. future land use identified in this recommendations plan. identified in the Plan
Incorporate the Provide formal guidelines All municipalities To assist guidelines for to evaluate landowner within the Region. municipal Planning consideration requests to add land to Commissions and of additions to the DGA and rezone land elected officials the DGA as an for future development in evaluating Plan for and amendment proposals Implement Future to the zoning Land Use Plan ordinances of all Recommendations the municipalities.
Modify zoning ordinance All municipalities To assist 2012 Chapter 3, Pages Develop a zoning terminology and within the Region landowners, 60-62, 67, 72-74 lexicon for the provisions to be consistent with assistance from developers, and region among the region’s Lancaster County others in reviewing municipalities Planning Commission zoning ordinances
Revise the Mount Identify specific sending Mount Joy Township To direct growth 2010 Joy Township TDR and receiving parcels and will lead this effort to DGA’s and allow Program revise the standards for farmers to sell transfer development rights
17 Plan Element/ Project Name Project Details Responsible Reasoning for Target Funding Objective Party Project Completion Sources Date Institute a Regional Establish a regional Municipal appointed To direct growth 2013 TDR Program Transferable Development and elected officials to DGA’s and allow Rights (TDR) program with support from farmers to sell Chapter 8, Page 54 including TDR valuation, Lancaster County development rights identification of TDR Planning Commission sending and receiving areas, zoning ordinance revisions, the mechanics of TDR purchase, sale and registration and an educational component for sending area landowners Continue to See Master Plan Elizabethtown Revitalize and Ongoing Implement the for complete list of Borough will lead this enhance the Recommendations recommendations effort Borough’s of the Master Plan downtown while for Downtown preserving key Elizabethtown historic and Chapter 5, Page environmental 104 features Implement Complete renovations to Elizabethtown See above 2010-2012 Center Square Center Square, downtown Borough will lead this Renovations streetscape improvements effort. and High & on High Street and Market Streets Market Street, as well Streetscaping as pedestrian and non- motorized connections Chapter 5, Page from the downtown to the 101 greater region
18 Plan Element/ Project Name Project Details Responsible Reasoning for Target Funding Objective Party Project Completion Sources Date Plan for and Encourage, promote, and Mount Joy Township Provide for 2010-2015 implement invest in the creation of will lead this effort future economic the Route 743 commercial and/or mixed development in Interchange use development within order to expand District the I-1 Zone at the Route tax base and Development 743 interchange employment in an area planned for Chapter 5, Page future growth 102 Plan for and Promote, attract, and Mount Joy Township Provide for 2010-2015 implement the invest in industrial will lead this effort future economic Cloverleaf Road development within the development in Interchange I-2 zone a the Cloverleaf order to expand District Road interchange tax base and Development employment in an area planned for Chapter 5, Page future growth 103
Economic Development Plan- The region in recent decades has experienced a tremendous growth in residential development. It is imperative that this residential growth be balanced by a strong regional economy that can provide the tax base and employment needed by the region. Future economic development efforts will recognize both the existing commercial and industrial base in the region, such as Mars, Greiner, the Conewago Industrial Park and the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management facility, but also look for new opportunities such as a proposed location for a professional office park. The following recommendations are intended to maintain and strengthen the balance between rural and urban economic activities.
19 Plan Element/ Project Name Project Details Responsible Reasoning for Target Funding Objective Party Project Completion Sources Date Develop a Create an Office Park/ West Donegal To provide for an 2010 LUPTAP Professional Light Industrial zoning Township will lead economic use, not Office Park/Light district containing this effort generally provided Plan for a vibrant Industrial zoning approximately 160 acres for currently in the and sustainable district in West ease of Maytown Road/ region, that would economy Donegal Township PA Route 743 provide tax base Chapter 5, Page and employment 105 growth
Housing Plan- The following recommendations are intended to maintain a wide range of housing opportunities in the region and provide for residential development in a balanced manner, consistent with future forecasted demand. As the region’s citizen’s age and household status changes over time, it is important that there are a variety of housing options available.
Plan Element/ Project Name Project Details Responsible Reasoning for Target Funding Objective Party Project Completion Sources Date Implement zoning Modify municipal zoning All municipalities To provide for 2012 UEF and subdivision ordinance provisions to within the Region a wide range of LUPTAP Maintain and ordinance address increasing desire for housing options Expand Regional amendments to more modest housing in a to accommodate Housing Options provide for a wider compact setting convenient the varied housing to the everyday needs of range of regional needs of the residents, and promote a housing options variety of home types within region’s citizens. any one neighborhood with a Chapter 6, Page focus on ease of usability for 114 various ages and capabilities
20 Community Facilities Plan- The region has, in the past two decades, experienced tremendous levels of growth. These growth levels have created equal demands for community facilities to serve this growth. Sewer and water service, a fully functioning transportation system, police, fire, and emergency services, parks, libraries, and schools must all be planned to serve both current and future residents and businesses.
Plan Element/ Project Name Project Details Responsible Reasoning for Target Funding Objective Party Project Completion Sources Date Complete a Conduct a detailed All municipalities To determine if 01/2013 DEP regional water assessment of potential within the Region. adequate public DECD and sewer service demand over the next sewer and water US Dept of assessment. fifteen years for each capacities exist Ag/Rural Chapter 7, Page water and sewer service to serve future Development 130 facility serving the region development
Complete a Evaluate the feasibility of All the municipalities To ensure adequate 12/2014 Community Fire Service various ways to bolster within the Region fire and emergency Revitalization Effectively and Emergency fire and emergency and possibly some service in the Program plan, manage Response Providers response services in municipalities outside region and develop Support Feasibility the region including of this Region. community Study paid administrative or facilities management staff; Chapter 7, Page dedication of tax revenue; 132 incentives to employers to allow volunteers time away from work for emergencies; Live-in staffing arrangements; paid responder personnel during the work day to supplement volunteer response; further regionalizing of services and/or equipment.
21 Plan Element/ Project Name Project Details Responsible Reasoning for Target Funding Objective Party Project Completion Sources Date Identify, plan for Inventory each of the All the municipalities To ensure that the 12/2014 Community and implement regional, municipal, within the Region park and rec. needs Revitalization the park and neighborhood, and school of the region’s Program recreation needs parks and recreation areas citizens are met PA DCNR for the region, and their facilities and municipality and plan for the future needs neighborhood of residents Chapter 7, Page 135
Natural and Cultural Resources Plan- The Plan includes a number of recommendations to identify and protect the region’s unique natural and cultural resources. From the Susquehanna River to the Pennsylvania Highlands areas, from the region’s historic villages, agricultural heritage and history of Elizabethtown Borough, these interconnected natural and cultural resources, in large part, provide the region’s unique identity. The following recommendations are intended to identify these resources and define strategies to protect, enhance, and celebrate them.
Plan Element/ Project Name Project Details Responsible Reasoning for Target Funding Objective Party Project Completion Sources Date Preserve and Incorporate the All the municipalities Ensure that the 2011 Protect the recommendations within the Region. region’s natural Region’s Natural for zoning and resources are and Cultural subdivision protected and Resources ordinance revisions enhanced when identified in new development is the County’s proposed Greenscapes Plan Chapter 8, Page 146
22 Plan Element/ Project Name Project Details Responsible Reasoning for Target Funding Objective Party Project Completion Sources Date Conduct an All the municipalities Identify the unique 2011 inventory of the within the Region historic resources region’s historic of the region and resources and develop tools to develop regulatory preserve them and other approaches to preserve these resources Chapter 8, Pages 145- 146
Agricultural Plan- Agriculture is a central component of the region’s economy and way of life. It is equally important to protect and preserve the agricultural land base and farming as an economic activity. The primary implementing action this Plan recommends to preserve agriculture is to direct future non-agricultural development to areas planned for growth. Agriculture is an intense industrial land use and generally incompatible with non-agricultural uses, especially residential.
Plan Element/ Project Name Project Details Responsible Reasoning for Target Funding Objective Party Project Completion Sources Date Consider Participating Township The three Townships Supplement the 2011 participation in would provide within the Region. APB’s program with Preserve, Protect the Agricultural supplemental funding local funds in order and Support Preserve Board’s to preserve farms that to preserve more Farmland and cost-share program otherwise may not be farms Farming Activities to preserve preserved farmland within the region Chapter 9, Pages 156
23 Plan Element/ Project Name Project Details Responsible Reasoning for Target Funding Objective Party Project Completion Sources Date Incorporate the The three Townships Provide for tourism 2011 provisions of the within the Region. opportunities Lancaster County that reflect the Agritourism agricultural heritage Guidelines into the of the region three Township while providing zoning ordinances opportunities for Chapter 9, Page supplement farm 156 income Examine zoning The Three Townships To permit 2011 regulations for within the Region. supplemental agricultural related sources of farm businesses and income while recommend managing the revisions, as impacts of these needed. businesses Chapter 9, Page 156
Planning Toolbox
Many of the issues facing the region are the same as those faced by municipalities throughout Lancaster County and Southcentral Pennsylvania. Solutions to a number of the region’s issues then, may be found in the practices of various municipalities, and those approaches are reflected throughout the implementation items of the subsequent chapters of this Plan. Over the years, the Lancaster County Planning Commission has spearheaded best practices education and sharing among Lancaster County municipalities. The County maintains on its website a Smart Growth Toolbox of tools, techniques, ordinances, guidebooks, and programs aimed at assisting municipalities to create the kind of communities desired by their residents. Below is a listing of several “toolbox items” pertinent to the region’s key issues. Unless otherwise noted, further information regarding these and other Smart Growth tools is available through the Lancaster County Planning Commission website (www.co.lancaster.pa.us/planning) under the Envision Smart Growth Toolbox link.
24 Lancaster County Heritage Program - Lancaster County Heritage is a countywide network of heritage resources -- natural, cultural, and historic resources –- that are officially designated by the Lancaster County Planning Commission (LCPC). Eligible resources include sites (such as historic places and museums), lodging & dining facilities, events, tours, handmade products, craftspeople, byways, trails, communities, and landscapes.
Innovative and Flexible Zoning - can be used as a tool to achieve land use, housing, heritage, and character goals of a municipal or regional comprehensive plan. The Municipalities Planning Code, the MPC, provides for several approaches to innovative and flexible zoning. Section 605(3) of the act encourages innovation and the promotion of flexibility, economy and ingenuity in development by allowing increases in the permissible density of population or intensity of a particular use based upon expressed standards and criteria set forth in the zoning ordinance. Article VII provides for Planned Residential Developments as a means to add innovation to local zoning codes. Article VII-A enables local zoning provisions for Traditional Neighborhood Developments. Each of the zoning innovations provided for in the MPC is in use by municipalities in Lancaster County. East Cocalico Township relies on this section of the MPC to support its Village Overlay Zone. Manor Township Relies on Section 605(3) to support its “Flex-“Residential Zones. East Lampeter, West Lampeter, and West Hempfield Townships have zoning provisions based on Article VII-A, Traditional Neighborhood Development. Manheim Township and Lancaster City have zoning provisions based on Article VII, Planned Residential Development.
Smart Transportation Guidebook – a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation product, it provides guidance on planning and designing highways and streets that support sustainable and livable communities. Its focus is on non-limited access roadways, from local streets through multi-lane state highways, in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Traffic Calming - the combination of mainly physical measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior, and improve conditions for non-motorized street users. Traffic calming measures are mainly used to address speeding and high cut-through traffic volumes on neighborhood streets. These issues can create an atmosphere in which non-motorists are intimidated, or even endangered, by motorized traffic. Additionally, high cut-through volumes become an increased concern when larger commercial vehicles are involved. Along with the additional amount of traffic generated within the neighborhood, cut-through motorists are often perceived as driving faster than local motorists. By addressing high speeds and cut-through volumes, traffic calming can increase both the real and perceived safety of pedestrians and bicyclists, and improve the quality of life within the neighborhood.
The Lancaster County TDR (Transferable Development Rights) Practitioner’s Handbook - The primary purpose of this Handbook is to share existing knowledge about TDRs gained from three successful municipal TDR programs in Lancaster County (Warwick, Manheim, and West Hempfield Townships), as well as the experience of the Handbook authors, with municipalities, landowners, and developers who are considering use of TDRs. The Handbook will also be helpful to: 1) Municipalities wishing to expand existing TDR programs into new parts of the municipality or to protect a variety of land resources; 2) Two or more municipalities interested in establishing multi-municipal TDR programs; 3) Lancaster County officials who wish to identify potential roles for County personnel and their departments; and 4) Other 25 organizations who can partner with municipalities to facilitate greater use of TDRs. By drawing upon local TDR knowledge, municipalities will better understand how to establish a TDR program through their comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance. They can identify sending and receiving areas consistent with Balance and their own municipal plans. Through the use of TDRs, municipalities can help preserve more farmland and encourage more efficient use of the County’s urban areas and boroughs through increased densities or diversity.
Lancaster County’s Model Agritourism Guidelines - for local municipalities that wish to implement sustainable agritourism strategies to allow for the continued prosperity of the county’s family farms. The guidelines discuss appropriate agritourism enterprises and supply model zoning language to allow for agritourism in rural areas.
Workforce Affordable Housing - opportunities for housing that are affordable for the average worker and located in the same community where those workers live is increasingly difficult to find. The Housing Development Corporation in Lancaster County has sponsored an annual Housing Summit that brings together the wide variety of participants in this issue including developers, bankers, consultants, government officials, builders, non-profits, and fair housing advocates. Attendance at this and other similar events will arm a municipality with a wealth of information, tools, best practices, and personal connections to make workforce affordable housing happen in their community.
Targeted Brownfield Assessment Tool - to identify potential redevelopment opportunity areas with the assistance of Lancaster County Planning Commission Staff.
26 Chapter 3 - Land Use
Overview Introduction The four municipalities of the region are well positioned to effectively manage growth in keeping with the principles set forth in the Lancaster County Growth Implementation Management Plan, Balance. There is a clear opportunity for concentrated development and redevelopment to occur within Elizabethtown Borough and Land Use designated growth areas of the three Townships. That focus, bolstered by the implementation of a regional Transferable Development Rights (TDR), Transportation can work in concert to direct growth away from the sensitive agricultural lands and natural features of the region. Such preferred development and Economic growth management will also lead to the achievement of a number of other Development regional objectives for economic development, transportation, housing, fiscal
health, and community facility and services balance. Housing
This Plan forecasts, based on recent historical trends, the amount of Community residential growth expected to occur in the Region through 2030. However, Facilities the four municipalities involved in the preparation of this plan wish to stress that future decisions on development in the region will not be strictly and Natural & Cultural Resources singularly based on meeting those development projections. While there is
an obligation to accommodate the housing needs of future residents, this Agricultural obligation must be balanced by the availability and adequacy of infrastructure and public services to serve that development. There is a consensus among Appendix the participating municipalities that the growth management strategies outlined in this plan, including an emphasis on infill and redevelopment within the existing growth areas, and the phasing of development on designated undeveloped parcels adjacent to the growth areas, will result in the achievement of the land use pattern the region desires.
27 Vision
To sustain the existing viable development; encourage infill, redevelopment and replacement; limit residential development outside of the designated growth area: coordinate community services with designated growth areas; preserve the rural characters of the Townships all the while sustaining and enhancing Elizabethtown Borough as the core designated area of the region.
Strategic Land Use Issues
Farmland preservation is a priority - Coincidentally with the presence of prime agricultural soils, many farms in the three Townships have been made part of Agricultural Security Areas and/or are in the Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board or Lancaster Farmland Trust programs. The region will want to coordinate these areas with their plans for growth.
There has been significant residential development pressure – the region’s population has increased by 60% since 1980 compared to 36.5% for Lancaster County overall. Building permits issued for residential purposes has been strong in all four municipalities over the decade. Conoy has actually experienced an increase in the number of residential units permitted between 2005 and 2007, with a total of 110. In spite of a down housing market and general economy since 2005, the area’s overall quality of life will continue to make the region a desirable place to live.
Limited utility capacity - (water and sewer – see the Community Facilities and Services Plan chapter) could be restricting business and industrial recruitment and development efforts. Water supply needs have been identified in studies and by municipal officials in Conoy, Mount Joy, and West Donegal Townships. Significant uncertainties exist for future sewage treatment capacity in Conoy Township, Elizabethtown Borough, and West Donegal Township due
28 to limited capacities and the implications of the Chesapeake Bay Strategy. These conditions make comprehensive planning of service in line with regional growth difficult. Current belief is that these issues will be resolved in the near future, thus future planning should not be affected drastically by this issue.
Commercial and business redevelopment of empty spaces through infill is an opportunity and necessity - Underutilized and vacant properties such as those scattered along Route 230 and within the Borough call for redevelopment prior to the opening up of more land further out in the region for similar commercial and business development.
Increased Tax Base Necessary in Borough - Elizabethtown Borough’s ability to add to its property tax base and continue to meet the cost of community facilities and services provision and maintenance has become a much greater challenge as the Borough has approached build-out of its vacant lands suitable for development. The Borough must rely in the future on redevelopment to enhance property values and its property tax base.
Consider consolidation of large commercial footprints into multi- level buildings - Development along Route 230 headed out of Elizabethtown Borough increasingly sprawls and consumes large amounts of land. Reinvestment in the relatively built-out Elizabethtown Borough downtown will need to be multi-story. Farmland preservation can be an integral part of both kinds of redevelopment via a regional TDR program that sells development rights off the farms and applies them in the more urban areas of the region where development and redevelopment is desired.
Industry needs to be attracted – the region’s 2000 Census unemployment rate of 1.3% (Lancaster County was 3.0%) indicates a strong job base in the region although the region’s percentage of workers in manufacturing and wholesale trade (23.2%) trails that of Lancaster County (27.1%). Continued residential growth in the region will increase demand for municipal and school
29 district services. Expansion of the tax base with additional industry will help to pay for the cost of those services.
Mount Joy Township Industrial Park land is difficult to access– Cloverleaf Road between Route 230 and Route 283 is classified as a minor arterial per PennDOT but is only a two-lane road. It remains a two-lane road of local classification on the opposite side of Route 283 where access to the Industrial Park occurs. All other access to the Park is by two-lane roadways as well. These physical limitations and those associated with the Route 283/ Cloverleaf Road interchange are obstacles to filling the park. Transportation improvements along Cloverleaf Road and at the interchange may facilitate development of the Park.
Future school siting - School age populations are greatest in the three Townships of the region. Coordinating the location of existing and future school facilities with those school age populations and regional transportation capabilities will continue to be a challenge.
Background
The history of this region is different than that of other areas in the County. This region was settled by Scots-Irish, whom the Quaker proprietors called “peculiar and aggressive.” The Scots-Irish, like most other immigrants, had been persecuted for their religion, Presbyterianism, which was in conflict with the religion embraced by the ruler of England at that time. The English forced them out of Scotland to Northern Ireland and, starting about 1715, many of those displaced people immigrated to Pennsylvania, going immediately to the unsettled “frontier” area after they arrived. They were not pacifists and held no love for England. The Scots-Irish took up land without the benefit of survey or deed by the proprietors. They established the Donegal Presbyterian Church sometime between 1716 and 1721. They called the area in which they lived Donegal after a county in Northern Ireland.
30 The earliest records relate to the area now called Conoy Township, which was formed out of Donegal Township in 1842. This area was settled early, circa 1715. A road known as “Old Peter’s Road” after Indian trader Peter Bezaillon led from Downingtown directly to Conoy Indian Town where trading posts had been established. Also, a second Indian path led from Conestoga Indian Village (now Washington Boro) to Conoy Indian Town where it joined with Old Peter’s Road and continued on to Paxtang (now Harrisburg) through present-day Bainbridge and Falmouth. Falmouth is the oldest community in today’s Conoy Township, established at the falls on the Susquehanna River. Laid out circa 1791, a total of 146 lots were sold by lottery. The focus of this settlement was the river; it was the location of Rankin’s Ferry established much earlier, circa 1770. The primary industry was shad fishing and fisheries were established. Fishing was the major factor in the local economy. Shad, migrating north to spawn, were caught by the thousands and peddlers from all over the county would line-up to buy the fish to take back to their respective communities. The founders of Falmouth hoped that the town would become a major river terminal point when river freight was transferred to Conestoga Wagons at this point and hauled to markets in the north and east. However, on the York County side of the river a canal was built around the falls enabling boats to go around the falls and navigate easily up and down the river. Suddenly, Falmouth’s expectation of becoming an important center for trade was gone and never returned.
The village of Bainbridge is named after Commodore William Bainbridge, a naval hero in the War of 1812. In 1813 there were only three buildings on the present town site, a farmhouse and two taverns, along the road that led to Paxtang. Bainbridge grew very slowly; it wasn’t until about 1840 that growth began and that was largely due to the construction of the Pennsylvania Canal. The canal brought new prosperity to the town. Not long after the canal was built construction of the railroad along the river began, providing many jobs for locals. The town hit its prime during the Civil War and in 1880 it was
31 described as having about eight hundred residents. The town was extremely self-sufficient and had within its borders all the goods and services commonly needed by townspeople. It never developed industry and growth stagnated. Today it is largely a bedroom community for folks who work elsewhere in Lancaster or Dauphin Counties. New developments are being built around it because of its rural atmosphere.
Elizabethtown was laid out in 1753 by a tavern keeper whose tavern was on the Lancaster-Harrisburg Road, today’s Rt. 230. This land was equidistant between Lancaster and Harrisburg and seemed a likely spot to start a town. Soon there was another tavern and the town grew up slowly between the two taverns. The early residents of Elizabethtown represented a variety of trades and crafts. When lots were sold the new owner was required to build a substantial dwelling within a certain amount of time or the lot reverted to the original owner. It has been suggested that many farmers in the area owned lots and built dwellings to rent out. Reverend Melchior Muhlenberg, in 1769, commented that: “The inhabitants of this town are young newcomers and for the most part poor.” Many were recent emigrants from Europe. A traveler passing through Elizabethtown in 1788 described it as “a small clump of houses of log with one large stone and one large brick house.
After the Revolutionary War growth increased and is attributed to the increase in traffic going to and from Philadelphia, Lancaster, Middletown, and Harrisburg. The heavy traffic was cause to improve the road in 1805. When one of the now numerous taverns were made a stage office, it put the town “on the map”. By 1800 there were about thirty 1-1/2 story log houses occupied by those with German backgrounds as well as those with Scots-Irish background. By 1815 there were about fifty dwellings and by 1827 the population had grown to the point that they were granted the status of Borough. A private railroad was built from Lancaster, through Elizabethtown to Harrisburg and an era of prosperity began. Elizabethtown flourished as a distribution center for the immediate neighborhood as well as a stage for goods and travelers between Pittsburgh
32 and Philadelphia. By 1854, factory systems and heavy industry were becoming prevalent in the county but Elizabethtown Borough was the exception. They had no tobacco warehouses, cigar factories or any manufacturing on a large scale basis. They continued the crafts and trades that had always been there: a harness shop, a tannery, furniture maker, and the like. By 1864 there were about 160 houses and business places. By 1900 an agricultural implement factory had been established but still reflected the older tradition of making goods to fill orders.
The twentieth century brought new industry as well as a college and the Masonic Home to the Borough. Elizabethtown College was started in 1899 by the Church of the Brethren. This industrial boom in Elizabethtown created an environment for growth which continues today. It wasn’t too long after the Scots-Irish settled in Donegal Township that Swiss Mennonites and Germans began to migrate into this area as well. Much of the land was rich, fertile, limestone soil although some areas toward the river were hilly and referred to as barren. Swiss and Germans eventually outnumbered the Scots-Irish, many of whom migrated farther west. Known for their farming ability, the Swiss and Germans even turned the barren land into crop producing land. In 1838 Donegal Township had sufficient population to be divided into East and West Donegal Townships. Today, West Donegal Township remains largely agricultural.
Existing Land Use
The total acreage of the planning region is approximately 41,408 acres, or about 64.7 square miles. Excluding the acreage of Conoy Township consisting of the Susquehanna River, approximately 2,368 acres, results in about 39,040 acres of land. The single largest land use is agriculture, comprising 60% of the region’s total land base.
Of this total, approximately 23,370 acres are zoned for agriculture use.
33 Agricultural Security Areas exist in each of the three Townships, comprising 15,040 acres. Currently, 108 farms have been permanently preserved through conservation easements purchased by the Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board (APB) and/or Lancaster Farmland Trust (LFT). The total acreage of these preserved farms is approximately 7,673 acres.
The region has predominantly been developed with low density residential with approximately 12% of the land use as single-family dwellings. Single- family dwellings are also predominant in Elizabethtown Borough with 12%, the highest of all residential land uses within the Borough. Residential uses as a whole encompass approximately 18% of the region. Both Elizabethtown Borough and Mount Joy Township have the highest percentage and land use acres associated with multi-family dwellings and apartments. Conoy Township has the highest acreage, 287, associated with Rural Residences with less than 10 acres.
Approximately 1,323 acres or 3.6% of the region’s total land base is currently classified as commercial. These uses are primarily located along thePA Route 230 corridor and within Elizabethtown Borough. The major commercial classifications in the region are storage, warehouse and distribution; retail; motor vehicle services; and multiple use areas.
Lands classified as Industrial total approximately 715 acres, or 2.0% of the region’s land base. The majority of the industrial classified lands are considered light industrial. These areas are principally located within Elizabethtown Borough, at the Greiner Industries location at the PA 283/Cloverleaf Road interchange and at the Conewago Industrial Park located on either side of Zeager Road.
Institutional and Community Services land uses comprise a relatively large percentage of the region’s land base, totaling approximately 1,712 acres or 4.6% of the total. Included within this total are the lands of the Masonic Village,
34 Elizabethtown College, Mount Calvary, Department of Corrections facility, Lancaster County Career School, as well as the schools of the Elizabethtown Area School District.
Finally, approximately 3,023 acres, or 8.2% of land use in the region is designated as private wild forest, private hunting and fishing clubs and other related forestry activities. These areas should be considered in the future land use map as conservation and/or preservation lands.
Citizen Preferences
In two surveys of citizen’s preferences, one conducted in the fall of 2008 as part of the regional comprehensive plan and one conducted in August 2005 for the draft Conoy Township comprehensive plan, residents strongly expressed a desire to maintain and enhance the current land use patterns of the region. Almost 84% of the respondents to the 2008 survey felt it was very important or important to conserve farmland in West Donegal and Mount Joy Townships while over 90% of the respondents to the 2005 survey supported greater efforts to preserve the agricultural lands, woodlands, and natural areas of Conoy Township. Similarly, almost 86% of the respondents to the 2008 survey said that future residential growth should be limited or maintained at a constant rate, while a majority of those responding in the 2005 survey stated that if future residential development does occur in Conoy Township, only “residential developments of smaller lot sizes in order to preserve agricultural areas and open spaces” should occur.
35 Future Land Use
Agriculture
As noted earlier, agriculture is the predominant land use by acreage in the region. A key goal of this Plan is to sustain the long-term economic viability of agriculture.
Each of the three Townships has adopted effective agricultural zoning which greatly limit the conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural uses. The amount of land currently zoned agriculture compared to the total land base is 49.0% in Conoy Township, 36.5% in West Donegal Township, and 77.4% in Mount Joy Township. The total amount of land planned and zoned Agriculture is expected to increase in West Donegal and Conoy Townships as a result of this comprehensive plan. A significant amount of land currently zoned Rural but used for agricultural use, is planned to be rezoned to Agricultural.
Agricultural Security Areas (ASA) have been established in each of the three Townships. Acreage included within ASA’s total approximately 3,584 acres in Conoy Township, 7,925 acres in Mount Joy Township, and 3,532 acres in West Donegal Township. There have also been a tremendous number of farms preserved in the region, either through the Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board or the Lancaster Farmland Trust. Twenty-seven parcels totaling 1,808 acres have been preserved in Conoy Township, 45 parcels totaling 3,320 acres in preserved in Mount Joy Township, and 35 parcels totaling 2,534 acres in West Donegal Township. Also, as of January 2009, there are applications to preserve an additional 23 farms in the region.
In summary, approximately 23,370 acres have been zoned for continued agricultural use, 15,040 acres are included within Agricultural Security Areas, and 7,673 acres of farmland have been permanently preserved. The 36 farmers and municipal officials of the region are to be commended for this monumental accomplishment.
The Plan recommends a number of further actions to protect the agricultural resources in the region. Key among these recommendations is the establishment of a Transfer of Development Rights program, either in a single municipality or regionally. As discussed below, both West Donegal and Mount Joy Townships will utilize a phased approach to adding acreage to the Designated Growth Area. As these parcels, and others already within the Designated Growth Area, are rezoned to allow more dense and mixed housing development, the landowner should be allowed the opportunity to further increase residential densities or achieve other development goals by purchasing and transferring development rights from farm parcels within the designated rural areas of the Township.
This Plan also advocates a regional Transfer of Development Rights program to both preserve the agricultural resources of the entire region, as well as to promote a vibrant, mixed use growth area centered on Elizabethtown Borough and the Designated Growth Area.
The Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board has initiated a program that allows municipalities to partner with the APB in funding the acquisition of conservation easements on farms in their municipality. Participation by the municipality would allow farms within that municipality to be placed higher on APB’s ranking of farm applications, thus ensuring farms being preserved more quickly. It is recommended that Conoy, Mount Joy and West Donegal Townships participate in this matching program as a way of implementing their agricultural land use goals.
37 Rezonings to a form of Agricultural
Conoy Township
1. Conoy is proposing to rezone a significant number of farms from their Rural zoning district to the Agricultural zoning district, as a result of the land use recommendations of the Plan. Conoy Township is proposing to rezone lands east and south of Falmouth. These rezonings will both reflect the long-term land use goals of the Township, as well as make the rezoned properties eligible to participate in the easement program of the Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board
Mount Joy Township
1. The Weidman tract of 80.5 acres adjacent to the Florin Hill Development in Mount Joy Borough will be rezoned from R-1 to Agricultural. The intent of the Township is to allow the current practices to remain until there is public water, sewer and roadway improvements in the area to handle a higher density development. Thus, this site is being added to the designated growth area, but will be phased as the Township is in need of future residential development.
West Donegal Township
1.The following list represents a total of approximately 430 acres within West Donegal Township to be rezoned from Rural to Agricultural. These parcels are located in the northwestern portion of the Township adjacent to Conoy Township.
a. Espenshade property of 142.4 acres.
38 b. Gipe property of 5.8 acres. c. Kinsey property of 114.1 acres. d. Miller property of 2.4 acres. e. Two Miller property of a total of 86.9 acres. f. Retherford property of 10.1 acres. g. Retherford property of 10.8 acres. h. Schick property of 11.1 acres. i. Zeager property of 41.4 acres. j. Zeager property of 5 acres.
2. A portion of the Minnich property north of Amosite Road in West Donegal Township will be rezoned from Rural to Agricultural. This site is approximately 40 acres and the Township will determine when the site will be zoned to a residential use in the future as the site is adjacent to other residential uses at this time.
Residential
A central focus of this plan is, consistent with the Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan, to direct 85% of future residential growth to the Designated Growth Area. The remaining 15% of growth will occur within the village of Bainbridge and crossroads community of Falmouth, as well as limited, primarily agriculturally-related residential development in the rural portions of the region.
The Designated Growth Area, centered on Elizabethtown Borough, and including parts of Mount Joy and West Donegal Townships, includes 5,769 acres. Lands identified as committed (including municipal and authority owned properties, fire companies, schools, Elizabethtown College, and other institutional uses) total about 596 acres. Therefore, there are approximately 5,173 acres potentially available for development within the Designated Growth Area. Much of this land is already developed for residential,
39 commercial, or industrial use but could be redeveloped or developed more intensely. Some of the lands are restricted by environmental constraints such as floodplains, wetlands, and steep slopes.
This regional plan attempts to tie the amount of land available for future development within the DGA to projections of future growth needs for each of the municipalities and the region as a whole. Each municipality adopted population forecasts for 2010 and 2030. Given the average household size identified for each municipality by the 2000 Census, the Plan identified the number of new dwelling units that would have to be constructed to meet the 2030 population projections. These projected housing needs are:
Mount Joy Township 1,621
West Donegal Township 1,291
Elizabethtown Borough 259
Both Mount Joy and West Donegal Townships have established future growth targets, consistent with the growth targets of Balance: The Growth Management Element of the Lancaster County comprehensive Plan, of directing 85% of future growth to occur within the DGA and the remaining 15% in the rural areas of the townships. Utilizing these targets, Mount Joy Township is projecting 1,378 total dwelling units within the DGA by 2030, while West Donegal Township is projecting 650 total dwelling units to be located within the DGA by 2030. Elizabethtown Borough is projected to have an additional 259 dwelling units by 2030, primarily occurring as infill or redevelopment of already developed parcels. Each of the municipalities then reviewed the amount of “pipeline” development currently existing, that is, the number of lots on recorded plan that have not been developed. These totals were then subtracted from the total projected 2030 need.
40 Given the projections of future housing needs for each of the municipalities, the amount of acreage required to accommodate this need is dependent on the density of development that occurs. A key goal of this Plan is for new residential development within the DGA to occur at an average density of 7.5 units per acre, consistent with the development goals stated in Balance. If this density target is reached, anticipated residential growth would consume approximately 184 acres within Mount Joy Township and 87 acres in West Donegal Township. If future residential development were to occur at an average density of 5.5 units per acre, this would require approximately 251 acres within Mount Joy Township and 118 acres within West Donegal Township.
Once the projected population, housing unit and housing acreage needs were calculated for each municipality, the specific delineation of the DGA was determined given the projected needs and the general configuration of existing development in the region. The total amount of land and the estimated total of developable land, within the DGA exceeds the projected need for future residential development. Again, part of this can be explained by the configuration of existing development patterns, such that undeveloped parcels located between existing developed parcels would be included within the DGA.
The Future Land Use Plan does not include a specifically designated Village Growth Area or Crossroads Community designation for Bainbridge or Falmouth, respectively, in Conoy Township. However, Conoy Township desires to direct most of its future growth to infill areas of Bainbridge, primarily west of River Road, and a limited amount of infill development around Falmouth, thus meeting the full intent of the County Comprehensive Plan Growth Management Element, Balance.
41 Phasing of Future Residential Development
Because the amount of developable land within the DGA exceeds the projected need for residential development, a key component of this Plan is the phasing of future growth consistent with development needs and the availability of public infrastructure.
There are a number of parcels in the region that have been targeted for future growth on a phased basis as proper infrastructure becomes available.
Specifically, these parcels are identified here:
Mount Joy Township
1. There are eight parcels, zoned Rural, totaling 372 acres north of Schwanger Road, south of Ridge Road, west of PA Route 283 which are now part of the designated growth area and will be phased for future residential development in Mount Joy Township. The actual phasing of these parcels will be dependent solely on public infrastructure. When a developer can show that public infrastructure (sewer, water and transportation facilities) is available to such parcels, then the Township will consider them for residential development. However, the Township does not need to consider all of the parcels at one time. The Township is also willing to consider development of these parcels as part of a transfer of development rights program. The parcels are listed below in alphabetical order only.
a. Hackman of 17.3 acres. b. Three Hoffer parcels totaling 90.3 acres. c. Matesevac of 22 acres. d. Myer of 126.5 acres. e. Raffensperger of 102.3 acres.
42 f. Wetzel of 13.8 acres.
2. When all of the above sites are built out and public water and sewer and roadway improvements have been completed or are proposed to be completed, the Weidman tract owners can request that the site be rezoned to a higher residential density district and thus utilized for future residential development.
West Donegal Township
1. The 57.5 acre Espenshade tract will be rezoned from R-2 to R-3 and will be the first parcel considered for future residential development within the DGA.
2. The Leicht tract of 66.5 acres and zoned R-3, northwest of Foreman Road is slated as the second site to be considered for future residential development within the DGA.
3. The Cyagra site of 59.5 acres zoned R-2 is an option for future residential development within the DGA. However, the Township realizes that this site will not be pursued as such until the demolition of the current structures on the site and the current sewer lines which are in very poor condition are replaced.
4. After the development of two of three sites above, the Township may consider the inclusion of the Frey and Garman tracts (59.1 and 15.9, respectively), which are currently zoned Rural will be rezoned to R-2 or higher into the DGA, as specified within this chapter for future residential development.
5. There are six parcels zoned Rural which are greater than 5 acres that will remain zoned Rural within the DGA. These six parcels total
43 158.3 acres and are located, west of Maytown Road. The largest parcels are two Snyder parcels, 90.1 acres and two Hershey parcels, 52.7 acres. The Township wishes to keep these as Rural due to the restrictive nature of public services to these parcels. All other lands zoned Rural within the DGA are either developed as single-family dwelling sites or are proposed for development as such at this time.
6. The Minnich parcel, currently zoned Rural and approximately 40 acres, located north of Amosite Road, is to be designated as future residential growth outside of the DGA on the Future Land Use Map and will be rezoned Agricultural.
Both Mount Joy and West Donegal Townships will evaluate requests by landowners to redesignate and rezone the parcels listed above to allow higher density development based on two criteria: 1) amount of land currently available for development within the DGA; and 2) availability of public infrastructure. The Townships will regularly evaluate the inventory of developable land within the DGA. Requests for additions to the DGA, or intensification of lands zoned Rural within the DGA, will be evaluated against the number of developable parcels and acreage that already exist within the DGA.
Additionally, any landowner request for an addition to the DGA or rezoning of land within a DGA, must be consistent with planning for public sewer capacity, public water capacity, and the Capital Improvements Plan for road improvements. Currently there are limitations on the availability of public sewer service and public water supplies to serve projected pipeline development, as identified in Chapter 8. Future development must be tied to Act 537 Plans for sewage disposal and water authority plans for future wells. Similarly, the region has committed to planning for future transportation improvements through the use of a regional Capital Improvements Plan. Any additions to the DGA or rezonings within the DGA must be coordinated
44 with the plans for future road improvements.
Rezonings to a Form of Residential
Mount Joy Township
1. There is currently one property zoned commercial in the northwestern portion of the Township which is outside the designated growth area and whose owner ( St. Peter’s Catholic Church) favors such change.
2. Mount Joy Township will be rezoning 18 parcels along Harrisburg Avenue from R-1 to R-2 to provide for a transition of high density development to medium density development. The parcels total 59 acres and are listed below.
a. Becker of 0.26 acres. b. Two Demastuts parcels of 0.68 acres. c. Denlinger of 0.29 acres. d. EAWA of 0.60 acres. e. Garber of 0.78 acres. f. Hess of 0.52 acres. g. Maxwell of 0.27 acres. h. Newcomer of 0.72 acres. i. PP&L of 1.4 acres. j. Peifer of 0.24 acres. k. Raffensperger of 0.33 acres. l. Snyder of 0.27 acres. m. Trostle of 0.14 acres. n. Weidman of 14.4 acres. o. Werner of 5.3 acres.
45 p. Two Witman parcels of 32.8 acres.
West Donegal Township
1. The following properties, totaling 10.83 acres, are to be rezoned from Agricultural to Rural within West Donegal Township. These parcels begin at the intersection of Miller Road and Stone Mill Drive and have already been subdivided from larger tracts. They no longer serve a true agricultural purpose. These parcels are listed in alphabetical order below.
a. Gordon property of 0.66 acres. b. Heisey property of 1.7 acres. c. Ingham property of 5.9 acres. d. Lloyd property of 0.58 acres. e. Roeder property of 0.46 acres. f. Rehkugler property of 0.63 acres. g. Smith property of 0.7 acres. h. Whitacre property of 0.62 acres.
2. The Espenshade property within West Donegal Township, totaling 57.5 acres is to be rezoned from R-2 to R-3 given its close proximity to an existing development and the Borough of Elizabethtown.
3. When West Donegal Township has utilized the higher density lands within the designated growth area for residential development there are two parcels that are adjacent to the designated growth area that the Township has deemed the next to be phased into the DGA. These properties will need to apply to the Township to be added to the DGA as prescribed in the text within this chapter. These are the Frey and Garman properties which will be rezoned from Rural to R-2, when the timing is appropriate. These two properties total 75 acres.
46 Commercial and Industrial
Commercial and industrial development within the region is primarily located within the DGA. Examples include the PA Route 230 corridor, the Mars plant location within Elizabethtown Borough, and the mix of neighborhood scale commercial uses within the Borough. The region recognizes the vital importance of this mix of commercial and industrial uses to the economic base. In addition to the existing commercial and industrial land use designations, this Plan recommends that approximately 164 acres, located in West Donegal Township east of Maytown Road and currently zoned Commercial and Industrial, be designated on the Future Land Use Map as Light Industrial/Professional Office and that a similar zoning be created for these properties. Further, this plan encourages development of commercial and industrial sites that are zoned such both within and outside of the designated growth area. However, there does not seem to be a need for any further lands to be zoned as such within the region.
The following is a list of some of the largest commercial and industrial uses in the region:
Mars Currently, Mars has 298 full time employees and 100 full time contract employees at its Elizabethtown facility, approximately 21% of those employees live within the Elizabethtown zip code of 17022. The structure is now 500,500 square feet after a recent expansion. The Downtown Master Plan for Elizabethtown Borough allows for further expansion of this business towards West High Street, along Brown Street which is all currently zoned industrial.
Veolia ES Lancaster Landfill Veolia owns approximately 136 acres of land near Milton Grove in Mount
47 Joy Township. The property is located on the north side of Cloverleaf Road, east of Milton Grove Road.
The landfill, which was first permitted in 1992, is permitted to accept construction and demolition waste, shredded tires, and individually approved residual waste. Veolia is requesting of DEP an expansion of the permitted area from 65 acres to the entire site of 135 acres. In addition, the actual landfill operation would expand by approximately 22 acres. Veolia is proposing a total of 12 landfill cells, of which four would be capped. Leachate from the landfill is pumped by force main to the Elizabethtown treatment plant.
Mount Joy Township and Veolia have entered into a Host Municipality Service Fee Agreement (Agreement). There currently exists an agreement and the Township has agreed to an updated version of this agreement which will become effective upon the expansion of the landfill and assures the maintenance of certain standards of operation of the landfill, such as operating, hours, security and screening of the property, and policing of the surrounding area. The Agreement also includes testing standards and use of the landfill, the maintenance and restoration of Township and state roads to be used by traffic to and from the site, and the priority disposal of locally generated waste and tires. The Future Land Use Plan recognizes the landfill as a pre-existing industrial use in an otherwise agricultural portion of the Township. Accordingly, the landfill property has been designated as Industrial on the Future Land Use Map. Resource Recovery Facility
The Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA) operates the Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) on 55.8 acres in Conoy Township. LCSWMA holds a total of approximately 149.4 acres of land which includes the RRF site and the proposed ethanol site. The property is located on the west side of PA Route 441/ River Road. The RRF is an
48 important part of the total integrated waste management operation of the LCSWMA. In operation since 1991, the RRF has the capacity to process up to 1,200 tons of solid waste per day. The Facility creates electricity by burning non-hazardous solid waste, and also extracts metals for recycling. By burning the waste, the RRF reduces the total volume by 90%. The Authority estimates that instead of 10 truckloads of waste going to the Frey Farm landfill in Manor Township, only one truckload of ash is land filled. It has been estimated that this has extended the operational life of the landfill by 19 years, with the landfill being filled by 2020 instead of 2001. Since its inception, it has been estimated that the RRF has generated approximately 3.5 billion kilowatts of electricity, which is enough to serve all of Lancaster County’s homes for two and a half years. This electricity generation has created $211 million in revenue. Additionally, the Facility has generated over $850,000 in recycled metal revenue
The proposed ethanol plant, located adjacent to the Resource Recovery Facility, was approved by the Conoy Township Supervisors in 2008. The plant is to be located on 65 acres of vacant farmland currently owned by LCSWMA.
Both the Resource Recovery Facility and the proposed ethanol plant property have been designated as Industrial on the Future Land Use Map.
Conewago Industrial Park The Conewago Industrial Park in West Donegal Township was first approved in the early 1980’s. The site covers 556 acres and has 32 lots. Currently, 22 lots have structures and 20 lots are occupied. The Industrial Park is not served by public sewer service or public water supply. Access to the site is provided from PA Route 230/ East Market Street. The Park is located outside of the Designated Growth area and is designated as Industrial on the Future Land Use Map.
49 R.E. Pierson The West Donegal Township Supervisors feel that the R.E. Pierson quarry should be removed from the Designated Growth Area at this time. If in the future the closure of the quarry allows for a recreational facility for the Township and Region, then the site would be considered for reinsertion into the designated growth area.
The R.E. Pierson quarry within West Donegal Township currently holds 65.94 acres. The R.E. Pierson quarry currently has 51 acres permitted for quarry operation. The owners and operators have recently requested an expansion which would permit an additional 23.38 acres for future quarrying operations and extend into an adjoining farm.
R.E. Pierson also has a small in-active quarry pit in Mount Joy Township which is on 13.09 acres. This site is being back filled with clean fill from the excess overburden located on the West Donegal Township site. Final grading and revegetation of this site with the back filling of the pit has been completed.
Rezonings to a form of Commercial/Industrial
West Donegal Township
1. There are currently two Snyder properties within the designated growth area that are zoned commercial and industrial within West Donegal Township. The Township proposes to rezone these two properties, which are 85.9 acre and 73.5 acres, to a Light Industrial/ Professional Office type of zoning district. This will provide for a type of development that is consistent with the surrounding area rather than a heavy industrial use.
50 Institutional/Community Facility
Masonic Village The Masonic Village’s property encompasses over 1400 acres, primarily in West Donegal Township, with a small portion located within Elizabethtown Borough. As a non-profit, 501c3 organization, the Village provides over 15 million dollars in charity care per year, and encompasses land uses that range from Independent Living arrangements in cottages and apartments to Assisted Living and Nursing Care. As of the writing of this plan, there are approximately 1750 residents at the Elizabethtown Masonic Village, the largest in Pennsylvania. In addition, the Village provides services to unique segments of the population, including Adult Day Care, and services to at- risk children through its Children’s Home.
As of August 2008, the Masonic Village employed 1,410 persons with 468 residing in Elizabethtown and 751 residing outside of Elizabethtown, but within Lancaster County.
The Masonic Village has developed a 20-year Master Plan that calls for “ridge to ridge” containment of future growth, with large areas preserved for natural preserve, wooded lands, greenways, and green buffers. Among the future growth plans for the Village are included up to 300 additional cottage units, the development of a hotel, and the adaptive re-use of historical structures. Further planning includes stream restoration and implementation of an energy plan which may include renewable power sources. In order to further integrate the opportunities at the Village and the residents of the Village with the surrounding population, Masonic Village may want to consider relocating the existing farmers market within the Sycamore Square area which may draw patrons from the Borough, Townships and outside the region with the access to the Elizabethtown Intermodal Transportation Center.
51 The Masonic Village has been designated a Special Planning Area as part of this comprehensive plan update given that the Village functions as an independent facility with its own water, sewer, transportation, and recreation. Masonic Village has agreed to work with both Elizabethtown Borough and West Donegal Township in determining appropriate uses and facilities adjacent to and within these municipalities, as well as, how both the Village and municipalities could benefit from the location of commercial facilities near and around the train station.
Elizabethtown College The College is located on approximately 160 acres in the southeastern part of the Borough. The College has prepared a Campus Master Improvements Plan which reflects all improvements performed over the past seven (7) years and indicates potential plans for facilities over the next 5 years. This plan includes several internal modifications for vehicular circulation, removal of parking from the center of campus and establishing parking on the periphery, improvements for Lake Placida in regards to stormwater management, and potential residential opportunities to bring students back onto campus.
Elizabethtown Area School District (EASD) The EASD currently consists of seven separate schools to serve the educational needs of the district’s students. The District includes five elementary schools: Bainbridge in Conoy Township, Fairview in Mount Joy Township, Rheems in West Donegal Township, and East High Street and Mill Road in Elizabethtown Borough; Elizabethtown Area Middle School; and Elizabethtown Area High School. The District is currently in the process of restructuring the grade structures of the District’s schools. Each of the five elementary schools will be converted from a K-5 structure to K-3. An addition and renovation to East High Elementary in 2011 and a renovation is planned for Mill Road Elementary, also in 2011.
52 The major part of the restructuring plan for the District’s schools is the construction of a new 4th-6th grade intermediate elementary school, Bear Creek, in Mount Joy Township. The site is located south of the existing school campus in the Borough and would be accessed primarily from Sheaffer Road. The new building, approximately 150,000 square feet, is to be located on a 33.8 acre parcel with capacity for 1,200 students.
The middle school will be converted from 6th-8th grades to 7th-8th grades, and the high school will remain 9th-12th grades.
Future facility planning by Elizabethtown School District should include members of the elected boards within this region to ensure that future development plans of the municipalities are taken into account by the school district as well as future development of school facilities being taken into consideration by elected officials. Further, both the school district and the municipalities should work closely to ensure that any future school facilities are walkable by the greatest student population possible which will reduce transportation costs and impacts on the region.
There is currently one Amish school located on Bellaire Road and a Mennonite school located on Schwanger Road, both in Mount Joy Township.
Department of Corrections/ Department of Defense property This 248 acre parcel is located north of North Market Street/PA Route 230, east of Cassell Road, and west of Mill Road in Mount Joy Township. The property is located outside of the Designated Growth Area. The property is owned by the Department of Corrections and approximately 35 acres is actively used by the Pennsylvania National Guard as an armory and associated facilities. Additionally, this site is used by the Department of Corrections for training purposes The Future Land Use Plan recommends that the property continue to be located outside of the DGA and designated for rural use. This plan designation is consistent with the Rural zoning
53 of the property. However, Township land use regulatory controls of the property have been pre-empted by Pennsylvania State legislation.
Lancaster County Career and Technology Center (LCCTC) The Center’s four (4) campuses make it the fourth largest technical school operating in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Full time senior and adult students meet in industry approved labs and gain knowledge and skills using traditional and contextual teaching strategies paired with hands-on, real-world learning. The Mount Joy Campus is located on Old Market Street in Mount Joy Township. Careers in Culinary Arts, Advanced Manufacturing, and Consumer Services are offered at the Mount Joy Campus.
Rezonings to a form of Institutional/Community Facility
Mount Joy Township
1. Upon the acquisition of the properties near Beverly Road by the Lancaster County Conservancy, the Township will rezone these lands and the lands owned by the Hershey Trust from I-2 to Conservation. The total acreage to be rezoned amount to approximately 250 acres and is located on the west side of Route 743.
West Donegal Township
1. 95.26 acres of currently owned Waste Management Disposal Service property adjacent to the Township building is being considered for a park within West Donegal Township. The 6 parcels that account for this acreage are shown as community facility on the future land use map.
54 Mixed Land Uses
Master Plan for Downtown Elizabethtown Elizabethtown Borough is currently taking action to revitalize its urban core and central business district. Traditionally, Downtown Elizabethtown’s central business district has been concentrated directly around its main artery, Market Street. However, after a recent survey, it has been determined that in accordance with the Downtown Elizabethtown Master Plan, expansion of this central business district should cover an area extending from Center Square, west on High Street to Masonic Drive and continuing to the intersection of College Avenue and Market Street. Extending the central business district would thereby connect Center Square to two major catalysts for revitalization in the borough in the near future: renovation of the Elizabethtown train station and further development in and around the Masonic Homes area. Plans are currently under way to revamp the train station and refurbish its grounds, main building, and platform. The Masonic Homes Area plans call for a boutique hotel, restaurant, and shops. The relocation of the farmers market to this area could further enhance economic development around the train station and connect Masonic Village with the downtown. Overall, there are several reasons for expanding the central business district to include the aforementioned area, which include:
• The existing building stock has definite size limitations.
• New, larger businesses, which may support the local economy and tax base in the future, need more building spaces than are available in the direct vicinity of Market Street.
• A link must be established between the train station/Masonic Homes area and Market Street, the traditional business center.
55 A large portion of Brown Street extending toward West High Street, formerly zoned residential, has been rezoned industrial. This rezoning allows for potential future expansion of Mars, a major employer in the region and large contributor to the local tax base. Under this plan, a large portion of Brown Street could potentially become a private drive for this corporation and Brown Street would be shortened, curved, and connected to Wilson Avenue.
A large component of the Downtown Elizabethtown Master Plan calls for the development of additional boutique retail, larger office complexes, and premium housing along West High Street from Center Square to the train station. To accommodate such a variety of uses along this corridor, zoning has been changed to mixed use.
In addition to plans for the Downtown’s central business district, there has been significant development with regard to the creation of green spaces/ recreational areas within the borough. Two linear green spaces have been implemented and this plan calls for pedestrian and bike trails that may be connected to the nearby regional trails, Conewago and NW River. These trails will increase pedestrian access and in addition to natural green spaces, may incorporate alleys and other man-made paths. All the while, economic development may be spurred by businesses that cater to these uses.
As a next step for Downtown Elizabethtown Borough, the Borough should consider the benefits of conducting a market study to determine what types of businesses or if a niche of businesses could be supported by the existing demographics of this region.
Elizabethtown Intermodal Transportation Center The Elizabethtown Intermodal Transportation Center project will anchor the transit-oriented development of the western portion of the Borough in conjunction with Sycamore Square. The full renovation to the train station property will extend the existing platforms to five (500) hundred feet on 56 both eastbound and westbound sides. The platforms will be raised to offer full-level boarding for all rail passengers. Elevators will be added to each side of the tunnel to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. The historic train station building, erected in 1915, is to be restored and reopened to serve the ridership. A bus stop for use by the Red Rose Transit Authority is to be added to the improved parking area and grounds.
Ridership at the station has increased significantly over the past several years due to: development in the Elizabethtown area, increased fuel prices and the improved convenience of rail travel. Actual figures for the previous five years are as follows:
FY 2004 – 43,902 FY 2005 – 51,481 FY 2006 – 62,526 FY 2007 – 74,091 FY 2008 – 90,644
The Borough has zoned the larger corridor around the train station property as Mixed Use to encourage both residential and commercial activity to support the ridership at the station. The redevelopment of the neighborhoods surrounding the station is a key priority of the downtown master plan.
Crossroads Communities Milton Grove was designated as a Crossroads Community in the Growth Management Element of the Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan. Mount Joy Township Officials believe that this area should no longer be considered as such due to the fact that infrastructure can not be supported there any time in the near or distant future.
57 As was previously stated, Falmouth will remain a focus area for development in Conoy Township but will not be given a specific determination of a crossroads community.
Village of Bainbridge Conoy Township anticipates very limited development to occur within the Township through 2030. Utilizing the same development targets of 85% of growth to occur within existing development areas and 15% in the rural areas of the Township, approximately 226 dwelling units are proposed to be located within the village of Bainbridge and the crossroad community of Falmouth. The Township is anticipating very limited infill development around Falmouth, and infill development primarily on the west side of PA Route 441/River Road in Bainbridge.
Parks and Recreation
Conoy Township There are six main parks – open space lands owned and operated by Conoy Township, they are: the Canal – Trail lands (including Fishermen’s Wharf), Conoy Creek Park (East and West), Bainbridge Playground, and Governor’s Stable. The parks range in size from 0.8 acres to 49 acres and offer a variety of both passive and active recreational activities.
Elizabethtown Borough Two parks are maintained by the Borough, Community Park and Hickory Lane Park. Hickory Lane Park is a passive recreation park while Community Park offers all of the active recreation a Borough resident could hope for. The Greater Elizabethtown Area Recreation and Community Services (GEARS) is a non-profit which provides child care, public recreation, and a senior center and serves approximately 25,000 people in the Region. The program was funded in 1976 as the Elizabethtown Area Recreation Commission and became GEARS in 2000 when it merged with the local
58 senior center. GEARS is also open to members that live outside of the Region, but they are charged an additional fee. Supporting partners and board members for GEARS are from Conoy Township, Elizabethtown Borough, Elizabethtown Area School District, Mount Joy Township and West Donegal Township. More information on GEARS is available at http:// www.getintogears.org/.
The Masonic Village offers a great deal of recreational facilities that are open to the public. They include six miles of walking paths, 6.25 acres of gardens and there are a number of GEARS programs that are offered within the Village.
Mount Joy Township The Lancaster County Conservancy is attempting acquisition of property totaling 105 acres, two tracts one of which is 75 acres and the other is 30 acres, near Beverly Road. At the time of this writing the Conservancy had requested and was granted an extension of time to acquire the lands to the end of 2009. At the time of the acquisition the Township will look to rezone these properties and properties owned by Hershey Trust to conservation from the I-2 zoning district.
Mount Joy Sportsmen’s Association – located on Sportsman Road
The Milton Grove Sportsman Club is located on Milton Grove Road and was founded in 1952 or 1953. The club holds 70 acres and currently has approximately 1,000 acres. The club seems to be “boxed” in and can not expand their land holdings on any side. The club host rifle and handgun ranges, single trap and a pond at which they hold an annual handicap fishing derby. This is a private club open to members and their guests.
The Big Chiques Bowman Club, located north of Milton Grove, adjacent to Milton Grove Sportsman Club. The Bowman Club was formed in April of
59 1954 and boasts both indoor and outdoor ranges and a recently renovated clubhouse.
West Donegal Township The Conewago Rod and Gun Club is located on Turnpike Road and encompasses 42 acres. The club was started in the early 1950’s and currently offers a clubhouse, four trap fields, four rifle ranges and four pistol ranges. This is a private club open to members and guests of members, however trap shooting is open to the general public. This club was originally located in Maytown and moved to its current location in the mid 1950’s.
Changes to the Designated Growth Areas
While this comprehensive plan update does not foresee a need to change the Designated Growth Area (DGA), it is intended to be a 10-year planning document. It is possible that opportunities or issues could arise during that time which would warrant consideration for an expansion or contraction of the DGA. It is the policy of this plan that any change to the DGA must be consistent with the goals of this comprehensive plan and rooted in sound planning principles.
Designated Growth Areas allow for a regional planning initiative. Allowing the expansion or contraction of a Designated Growth Area by approval of one municipality does not achieve regional planning. Thus, any proposed expansion or contraction of the DGA affects all the municipalities that are a part of that DGA, therefore any changes in the defined area should be done at a regional level or with input from the associated municipalities, authorities and school district.
Prior to determining any changes to the Designated Growth Area, the region should determine what percentage of build out of residential and
60 non-residential that must be met within the DGA prior to any expansion or contraction to the DGA.
At a minimum, any application for a change to the DGA must include:
1. Any proposed expansion must include a potential contraction area of the DGA that is of a similar amount of land area. Or the application may show that a similar amount of land will be permanently preserved through the transfer of development rights or preservation of agricultural land.
2. Application must indicate the acreage, location and planned density per acre of the proposed development to be included in the expansion area.
3. Application must show that the land proposed for expansion is not desirable for agricultural purposes.
4. Any proposed expansion must indicate how this is not intrusive to any surrounding agricultural lands.
5. Expansion proposals must indicate how they will be consistent with density, design, connectivity and other recommendations of this plan. 6. Any proposed expansion must be contiguous with the existing DGA, as indicated in this comprehensive plan or amended in the future.
7. Any proposed expansion must be served by public water and sewer, thus public water and sewer services must have the ability to serve and be adjacent to the proposed expansion site.
61 8. Any proposed expansion must indicate how connections will be made to existing transportation facilities, including pedestrian and bike facility and transit facilities.
9. Any proposed expansion must provide an analysis of traffic impacts and proposed traffic mitigation strategies.
10. Any proposed expansion must provide an analysis of the potential impacts to the local school district.
11. Any proposed expansion must provide an analysis indicating that the actual population or project population has changed from those stated in this comprehensive plan.
12. Any proposed expansion or contraction of the DGA should include all other changes of the DGA that have occurred since the adoption of this comprehensive plan, stating the resultant residential and/ or non-residential development and the effects on the projected population, transportation, and community services of the DGA.
Adjoining Municipalities Land Use Comparison
The adjoining municipalities to the region are as follows: York County York Haven Borough, Newberry Township, Hallam Township, East Manchester Township Dauphin County Londonderry Township, Conewago Township
Lebanon County South Londonderry Township
62 Lancaster County East Donegal Township Mount Joy Borough Rapho Township
The planning region’s future land use generally matches up nicely with the zoning designations of the surrounding municipalities. There are only a few conflicts to note:
• An area within East Manchester Township that is zoned for Industrial uses is adjacent to within conservation and agricultural uses within Conoy Township. The conflict is considered minimal since the Susquehanna River splits York County from the planning region.
• Conewago Township has land zoned for general commercial and manufacturing while Mount Joy Township designated the abutting land for agricultural uses.
•Londonderry Township designated land along the border with West Donegal for residential uses but the adjoining land in West Donegal Township is zoned for industrial.
Regional Future Land Use Implementation Priorities
Project Name: Intermunicipal Implementation Agreement
Project Description Establish the roles, responsibilities, and logistics of jointly implementing this regional plan. Draft versions of implementation agreements are within the appendix of this document. 63 Responsible Parties Each of the Region’s four municipalities with the guidance of the Lancaster County Planning Commission. An example is provided in the Appendix of this document.
Time Frame for Project Completion By January 2010
Funding Sources This project will only cost each of the municipalities the review fees from their solicitor and the advertising fees for a public meeting, thus the costs are to be the responsibility of the individual municipalities.
Project Name: Regional Planning Agency
Project Description Constitute a regional planning and development entity to provide advocacy, planning and implementation capacity, technical assistance and financial resources toward the completion of significant projects within this plan and that come up as the planning time frame moves forward for the region.
Responsible Parties Each of the Region’s four municipalities, Elizabethtown School District and when necessary Elizabethtown College, Masonic Village, Donegal School District, and Lancaster County Planning Commission.
Time Frame for Project Completion Within six months of adoption of this Regional Plan.
Funding Sources No overall funding source necessary, municipalities must be willing to allow
64 staff to attend meetings and meeting space within one of the municipalities is necessary. However, once the Regional Planning Agency has been established there may be a need for a minor contribution from each of the municipalities for minor start-up costs for printing, mailing, etc.
Project Name: Regional Communications Meetings
Project Description Municipal managers, transportation group and elected officials’ joint meetings are held regularly to maintain priorities and communicate direction to implementing entities.
Responsible Parties Each of the Region’s four municipalities elected and appointed officials and staff.
Time Frame for Project Completion On-going
Funding Sources No overall funding source necessary, municipalities must be willing to allow staff to attend meetings and meeting space within one of the municipalities is necessary.
Project Name: Regional Official Map
Project Description Each municipality would adopt their portion of the regional official map, as allowed by Article IV of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code. The regional official map may include: existing and proposed public streets, watercourses, public grounds (this may include widenings, narrowings, extensions, diminutions, openings, and closings); existing or proposed public parks, playgrounds and
65 open space reservations; pedestrian ways and easements; railroad and transit rights-of-way and easements; flood control basins, floodways and flood plains, stormwater management areas and drainage easements; support facilities, easements and other properties held publicly
Any future changes to the regional official map should be vetted through the regional planning organization that is formed as well as through the individual municipal boards.
Responsible Parties Each of the region’s four municipalities with the support of the Lancaster County Planning Commission.
Time Frame for Project Completion Within one year of the adoption of this Regional Plan.
Funding Sources Municipalities General Fund Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Implementation Funds Lancaster County: in-kind technical assistance and guidance
Project Name: Zoning Lexicon
Project Description As a first step for greater consistency and predictability among the individual zoning ordinances of the region’s four municipalities, a review of the general and specific terminology utilized within the four zoning ordinance will be completed. Following this review opportunities to modify terminology and provisions with each of the ordinances will be determined so that like terminology is used for like zoning districts. This will allow the municipalities and developers to communicate in a productive manner about parcels at the boundary lines as well as allow for
66 developers to understand a specific zoning district within the region. A set of desired revisions for each municipality’s zoning ordinance will be prepared.
Responsible Parties Each of the region’s four municipalities with support of the Lancaster County Planning Commission.
Time Frame for Project Completion Within two years of Regional Plan adoption.
Funding Sources Lancaster County: Technical Assistance Pennsylvania: Department of Community and Economic Development – LUPTAP
Project Name: Developments of Regional Impact and Significance
Project Description Large developments, such as shopping centers, major industrial parks, mines and related activities, office/business parks, storage facilities, large residential developments, regional entertainment and recreational complexes, hospitals, airports and other transportation facilities, which meet those thresholds listed below (or any others that the regional planning agency may determine), shall be regarded as Developments of Regional Impact and Significance (DRIS) and shall require special care and consideration during their review and approval process. The host municipality shall effectuate this heighten attention by amending their respective Ordinances to include the policies below and any others that the regional planning agency may determine. These policies shall require extra circulation and notification by the host municipality so that neighboring municipalities and other agencies may thoroughly evaluate and have a better understanding of how the DRIS impacts their concerns over budgetary, economic, environmental, land-use, social and transportation issues.
67 Municipalities within this region shall amend their respective subdivision and land development and/or zoning ordinances to include the following policies regarding DRIS:
1. With the exception of Building, Occupancy and Zoning (e.g. change in use, signage) Permit Applications, before any municipality shall consider and approve a DRIS for new or expanded land development, subdivision, or rezoning, the host municipality’s Governing Body shall hold at least one public meeting. This meeting may be combined with other meetings as may be required by other provisions of a municipality’s ordinances.
2. The Governing Body of the host municipality shall determine if the municipality wants the DRIS to be (1) circulated for informational purposes only or (2) reviewed and commented on by the Regional Planning Agency. Until the Regional Planning Agency is operating the municipality would send to adjoining municipalities. Upon establishment of the Regional Planning Agency such agency shall notify the adjoining municipalities within 10 (ten) days of receipt of any information regarding a DRIS.
3. If the host municipality determines to request review and comment then they shall circulate and notify, in writing, the Regional Planning Agency (until such agency is established all adjacent municipalities and applicable school district shall be individually notified), and county planning agency, of its intention to consider a DRIS. A complete package of background documents and plans shall be provided to the Regional Planning Agency so that an evaluation of the DRIS and its potential impacts may be determined. Notice of the DRIS application or proposal shall also appear in the legal advertising section of a local newspaper of general circulation, once, a minimum of 30 days prior to the consideration and approval by the host Governing Body.
4. In considering and reviewing a proposed DRIS, the Governing Body of
68 the host municipality shall consider the comments of the Regional Planning Agency, the county, as well as the general public. These comments shall merely be advisory, and in no way binding on the decision of the host Governing Body.
5. Those Regional Planning Agency (until such agency is established the adjacent municipalities and school district) and agencies who receive the complete package of background documents and plans shall be afforded 30 days from receipt of the package to return comments to the Governing Body of the host municipality in writing. The host municipality shall not officially approve a DRIS application until such comments have been received. If, however, comments are not returned within 30 days, the Governing Body of the host municipality may take action.
6. The Regional Planning Agency reviews the proposal and either (1) makes comments or (2) decides that it will not make comments, and then notifies the host municipality and the other municipalities of that decision. If the Regional Planning Agency decides to make comments, those comments shall relate to the DRIS’ general consistency with the Regional Comprehensive Plan, and to traffic/roadway improvements, utility locations and capacity, and other items to mitigate the impacts of the DRIS and to foster the use of neighboring lands in a manner that is consistent with the Regional Comprehensive Plan. In conducting its review, the Regional Planning Agency may consult with the Lancaster County Planning Commission or other parties with relevant expertise. The Regional Planning Agency shall be guided by the definitions of “general consistency” and “consistency” in the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.
7. DRIS shall include those uses that involve any of the following thresholds, either in the initial or ultimate cumulative phases: (these may be altered, added to, or subtracted from by the regional planning agency, when established) 69 Developments Inside the DGA Use Threshold Airport New or runwau addition Commercial/Retail 150,000 gross square feet Entertainment, Recreational 100,000 gross square feet or 500 Facilities, Gathering Spaces and/or seating capacity or 100 acres or Attractions greater Hospital and/or Health Care Facility 150 new beds or more Hotel/Motel Greater than or equal to 200 rooms or 100,000 gross square feet Industrial, Wholesale and/or 200,000 gross square feet or 400 Distribution employees or 100 acres or greater Office 100,000 gross square feet Quarries, Asphalt & Cement Plants, 25 acres or greater Mines Residential 100 new lots or units Schools 500 or more students Mixed Uses More than 400,000 gross square feet or 100 acres or greater Sanitary Landfills, waster handling All new developments or facilities, prisons, juvenile expansions detention facilities Other Uses Any development causing more than 100 acres of earth disturbance, projected to have more than 500 vehicle trips during the peak hour, projected to have more than 100 truck trips per day, and/or deemed by the host municipality to be a DRIS Developments Outside the DGA Use Threshold All uses listed within Developments All requirements above, except for inside the UGA and VGA those listed below Residential 25 or more new lots or dwelling units
70 Developments Inside the DGA Other Uses Any development with more than 25 acres, more than 25,000 gross square feet, more than 100 parking spaces, more than 100 vehicle trips during peak hour and/or deemed by the host municipality to be a DRIS NOTE: Gross square feet shall mean a structure(s) with that amount of gross square feet under roof.
8.The applicant of a DRIS and/or host municipality may utilize a per- review consultation with the host municipality and adjacent municipalities and agencies to help expedite the consideration of these types of plans through the approval process. The burden shall be on the applicant to coordinate and provide all necessary documentation.
9.The host Governing Body shall ensure that the DRIS is reasonably consistent with its Comprehensive Plan, as well as other planning documents for the municipality and region. Where significant inconsistencies are evident, an amendment application shall also be included as part of the DRIS application.
10.The host municipality shall provide copies of any action taken by the host municipality to the Regional Planning Agency (or the individual municipalities and school district until such agency is established.) The Regional Planning Agency shall provided copies of the action to the other municipalities.
Responsible Parties The regional planning agency and the four municipalities with the assistance of the Lancaster County Planning Commission.
71 Time Frame for Project Completion Within two years of Regional Plan adoption.
Funding Sources Lancaster County: Technical Assistance
Other Regional Priorities
• Periodically adjust allowed residential densities in each municipal zoning ordinance so that new development is generally consistent with Lancaster County’s housing density goals as described in Balance, the Growth Management Element of the County’s Comprehensive Plan:
*While considering the character of the community, each municipality should strive for average densities of 7.5 dwelling units per acre in the Designated Growth Area and 2.5 dwelling units per acre in Village Growth Areas.
•Ensure the amount of developable land set aside for growth within Designated Growth Area boundaries remains consistent with calculated non-residential growth needs.
• Coordinate growth with utility capacities - match water and sewer service areas and capabilities with amount of land designated for growth. Municipal Governing Bodies should request that their associated Authorities serve only within the adopted Designated Growth Area that has been adopted through this planning process.
• Create and reinforce preferred pedestrian-oriented character for targeted areas by adding pedestrian-friendly design provisions. Design options may include well-marked (and signaled if necessary) crosswalks, walkways 72 within, to and from parking lots and adjacent neighborhoods, safe walking surfaces, and places for shelter and social interaction.
• Connect trails/paths/walkways to residential developments, community facilities, employment centers, commercial hubs, and with each other throughout the region (see Transportation Plan chapter for Priority Implementation Project).
• Revise zoning regulations (through the use of Planned Residential Developments, neighborhood level zoning, etc.) to permit or require mixed use residential/commercial development in various locations throughout the region to reduce reliance on motor vehicles and to positively reinforce commercial uses.
• Identify vacant, underutilized, or outdated properties, especially where services and infrastructure already exist (i.e. Route 230), and consider zoning ordinances changes (density bonuses, streamlined plan review, parking regulations adjustments) to encourage more efficient and valuable infill and redevelopment. • Consider revising zoning ordinances to consolidate large commercial footprints into multi-level buildings to reduce land consumption.
• Include Designated Rural Areas (agricultural and natural) on the future land use map where only resource-based development is to occur.
• Designate Rural Centers to provide locations for compact growth as a substitute for scattered, low-density development that consumes large amounts of land and creates conflicts with agriculture. These include Village Growth Areas that typically surround existing traditional villages as well as other areas of existing development (Crossroads Communities, Rural Business Centers, Rural Neighborhoods) to which expected growth can be directed.
73 • There are currently many cultural, institutional and business sectors within the Borough of Elizabethtown. These sectors are somewhat hidden to the passerby, thus consideration should be given to these sectors having a presence within the Downtown of Elizabethtown Borough. This could be accomplished through the use of signs, banners, a retail facility, street furniture sponsorship, or sponsorship of events within the Downtown area.
• Transfer of Development Right programs. As identified earlier, Mount Joy Township will modify and strengthen its existing TDR program and tie it to the phased development of lands within the Designated Growth Area. Elizabethtown Borough also wishes to partner with neighboring municipalities to transfer new development into the Borough, providing incentives to developers in promoting infill development within the Borough.
• Encourage infill, redevelopment, and replacement within the region as a whole, but more specifically within the designated growth area to promote economic development, improve the municipal tax base, revitalize the business community, develop needed housing in close proximity to employment opportunities, preserve community and neighborhood character, continue the walkable neighborhoods, decrease commuter traffic, maximize existing investments in community services, strengthen the Downtown Elizabethtown and conserve energy.
• Proposed Rezonings. The following is a summary of proposed rezonings, discussed above, which are intended to implement the land use recommendations of the plan:
Conoy Township
1. Lands east and south of Falmouth are proposed to be rezoned from their Rural zoning district to the Agricultural zoning district.
74 Mount Joy Township
1. The Weidman tract of 80.5 acres adjacent to the Florin Hill Development in Mount Joy Borough will be rezoned from R-1 to Agricultural.
2. One (1) parcel along North Market Street which is currently zoned Commercial will be considered for rezoning to Rural.
3. Eighteen (18) parcels along Harrisburg Avenue from R-1 to R-2 to provide for a transition of high density development to medium density development.
4. Upon the acquisition of the properties near Beverly Road by the Lancaster County Conservancy, the Township will rezone these lands and the lands owned by the Hershey Trust from I-2 to Conservation. West Donegal Township
1. Parcels in the northwestern portion of the Township adjacent to Conoy Township totalling approximately 430 acres are to be rezoned from Rural to Agricultural.
2. A portion of the Minnich property north of Amosite Road in West Donegal Township will be rezoned from Rural to Agricultural.
3. A number of small properties, in the vicinity of the intersection of Miller Road and Stone Mill Drive, totaling 10.83 acres, are to be rezoned from Agricultural to Rural.
4. The Espenshade property near the Borough of Elizabethtown and totaling 57.5 acres is to be rezoned from R-2 to R-3.
5. The Frey and Garman properties totaling 75 acres will be rezoned 75 from Rural to R-2.
6. Two properties totaling nearly 160 acres, owned by the Snyder family within the designated growth area and zoned commercial and industrial, are proposed to be rezoned to a Light Industrial/ Professional Office type of zoning district.
7. Roughly 95 acres of land currently owned Waste Management Disposal Service adjacent to the Township building is being considered for a park and appropriate zoning.
• As a next step for Downtown Elizabethtown Borough, the Borough should consider the benefits of conducting a market study to determine what types of businesses or if a niche of businesses could be supported by the existing demographics of this region.
76 Chapter 4 - Transportation
Overview Introduction Traffic congestion is currently experienced at a number of locations throughout the region including Route 230/Market Street and the Cloverleaf Road/Route Implementation 283 interchange. A growing regional population has the potential to translate into even more vehicles on the roads, leading to longer travel times and Land Use more frustration, and resulting in deterioration of the region’s quality of life. The price of vehicle fuel has risen consistently over the past few years and Transportation dramatically in the past year.
Economic With these factors in mind, the prime transportation goal of the Regional Development Plan is for the safe and efficient movement of goods, services, and people.
To do this, the region’s municipalities have taken a multi-faceted approach: Housing
1. Planning and constructing road improvements. Community 2. Creating a pedestrian and bicycling trails system. Facilities 3. Planning various kinds of transit service. 4. Establishing formal park and ride facilities. Natural & Cultural Resources
Agricultural
Appendix
77 Strategic Transportation Issues
1. Planning and constructing road improvements.
• Traffic congestion needs to be managed – traffic counts on two-lane state roads such as Market Street, Cloverleaf Road, Bainbridge Road, and Hershey Road/Maytown Road /Hanover Street, approach at times those on four-lane Route 283. Traffic safety concerns noted on these roads in the region’s 2006 Transportation Plan, congestion along Route 230 (Market Street) at prime travel times, and future development at Mars and Masonic Village confirm this need. Alternate routes around Route 230 are viewed as part of the solution.
• Route 283/Cloverleaf Road overpass needs to be widened and the interchange reconfigured – as one of just two Route 283 interchanges that lead traffic to and from Route 230, heavy use occurs. Reconfiguration and widening is needed for better truck access to the industrial park on the northeast side of Route 283.
• Increasing commuter traffic and safety on Route 441 Columbia to Harrisburg need to be addressed – traffic counts on Route 441 have nearly doubled since 1988 according to the 1990 Conoy Township Comprehensive Plan and the 2006 Regional Transportation Plan. According to the Township’s 1990 Comprehensive Plan, segments of Route 441 had more than eight accidents and there were intersections with nine accidents including fatalities. Those trends continue today.
• Traffic access management – traffic congestion is in part exacerbated by the numerous curb cuts and traffic generating uses along those roads designated as arterials and the main routes for carrying traffic across and through the region. Vehicle movements in and out of these properties interrupt the flow of traffic along main roads, decreasing the
78 planned functionality of those roads.
2. Creating a pedestrian and bicycling trails system.
• Link residents to parks, schools, and waterways via bicycle paths, walking paths, and trails – extensive community facilities, valued waterways, and traffic challenges within the region confirm the desirability of providing alternative means for travel to and from community facilities/waterways and residential areas. The existing Conewago and Northwest trails are major regional trail assets upon which a region-wide system can be built.
• Pedestrian connections are needed where there is heavy retail commercial activity and bus stops – no relevant data applies to this concern but there is a great need for retrofitting of such locations in many Lancaster County communities.
3. Planning various kinds of transit service.
• Public transit service within the region needs to be maintained and enhanced – ridership on the Red Rose Transit Authority (RRTA) Bus Route #18 Elizabethtown/Mount Joy totaled 57,437 passengers in Fiscal Year 2007 – 2008. This is up 12% from the previous year but down 35% from its peak of 88,000 in 1985. Service frequency is key to ridership and RRTA added in late August a new, later bus run to all its County routes, leaving Lancaster City at 5:50 p.m. Some bus runs through the day are two hours apart on Bus Route #18 and the pending reallocation of federal funds away from transit operations will only magnify the problem. Anecdotally, ridership is strong between Elizabethtown Borough and Mount Joy Township.
• The Elizabethtown Intermodal Transportation Center project will
79 anchor the transit-oriented development of the western portion of the Borough in conjunction with Sycamore Square. The full renovation to the train station property will extend the existing platforms to five hundred (500) feet on both eastbound and westbound sides. The platforms will be raised to offer full-level boarding for all rail passengers. Elevators will be added to each side of the tunnel to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. The historic train station building, erected in 1915, is to be restored and reopened to serve the ridership. A bus stop for use by the Red Rose Transit Authority is to be added to the improved parking area and grounds.
Ridership at the station has increased significantly over the past several years due to: development in the Elizabethtown area, increased fuel prices and the improved convenience of rail travel. Actual figures for the previous five years are as follows:
FY 2004 - 43,902 FY 2005 – 51,481 FY 2006 – 62,526 FY 2007 – 74,091 FY 2008 – 90,644
The Borough has zoned the larger corridor around the train station property as Mixed Use to encourage both residential and commercial activity to support the ridership at the station. The redevelopment of the neighborhoods surrounding the station is a key priority of the downtown master plan.
The Elizabethtown Intermodal Transportation Center can also play a strategic role in the region’s future. Commuter use for travel to Harrisburg and Philadelphia will add to the region’s desirability as a place to locate.
80 • Look at bus line options other than RRTA’s direct County routes – indication from local officials is that there is demand for transportation directly to and from places of employment that could support transit- on-demand service apart from RRTA’s bus route service. Such services already exist in other areas of Lancaster County including Lancaster General Hospital’s shuttle service from the Burle Industries property parking lot to the Health Campus on Harrisburg Pike.
4. Establishing formal park and ride facilities.
• Park and ride needed to Lancaster and Harrisburg – no official park and ride sites exist but there are several locations in the region where unofficial park and ride activity occurs including in the vicinity of the Route 283 interchanges. In 2004, the Lancaster County Transportation Authority identified two sites in the region for park and ride, one at each Route 283 interchange in the region, either of which was projected to significantly relieve roadway congestion.
Overall Goal
To achieve safe and efficient movement of goods, services, and people via the transportation system of the Region.
Regional Transportation Implementation Priorities
To reach the overall goal for Transportation and to achieve each municipality’s objectives and strategies contained in the Appendix, the region’s municipalities identified steps and actions to be taken. Much of the region’s planning and analysis that led to the identification of the implementation actions and projects
81 took place during Steering Committee meetings and is contained in the 2006 Elizabethtown Area Regional Transportation Study. Key initiatives that overlap Plan topics and will help the region reach multiple goals are described below in some detail including who is to carry out the initiative, time frames for completion, and funding sources. Additional implementation priorities follow. A compilation of all the chapters’ key initiatives in matrix form for easy reference is found in Chapter 3.
Project Name: Regional Transportation Improvements Official Map
Project Description Based on Article IV of the PA Municipalities Planning Code, the four municipalities will prepare and adopt an Official Map that exhibits approximate road improvements alignments as delineated on the Transportation Improvements Map found at the end of this chapter.
Responsible Parties Conoy Township, Elizabethtown Borough, Mount Joy Township, and West Donegal Township officials.
Time Frame for Project Completion Zero to two years from the time of Comprehensive Plan adoption.
Funding Sources Pennsylvania: Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Land Use Planning Technical Assistance Program (LUPTAP) Local Municipal Resources and Development Program (LMRDP)
82 Project Name: Traffic Congestion Relief Projects
Project Description Traffic already uses local roads through the rural portions of Mount Joy and West Donegal Townships to bypass congestion on Route 230/Market Street. On the Regional Transportation Improvements Map #, both Townships and Elizabethtown Borough have identified improvements to pertinent roadways and intersections that will enhance the safe and efficient movement of vehicles around most of the stretch of Route 230/Market Street within the Borough. Those improvements include intersection turn lanes and realignments, road extensions, roadway widenings, and new road connections. Detailed information on individual projects is found by referring to the Regional Transportation Improvements Map at the end of this chapter and traffic improvement projects #2 – 9, and 13 of the 2006 Regional Transportation Study.
Further, traffic flow within various other portions of the region is addressed by specific transportation improvement projects. Improved distribution of traffic coming into the region at the Cloverleaf interchange of Route 283 is to be improved via roadway segment construction and/or improvements channeling traffic in various directions along and across Route 230. Travel through and around the Elizabethtown College campus as well as along and across Route 743 at the north end of the region is to be enhanced.
Responsible Parties/Partners One, some, or all of the region’s municipalities, PennDOT, Lancaster County Transportation Authority, local businesses, private property owners.
Time Frame for Project Completion Conoy Township, Elizabethtown Borough, Mount Joy Township, and West Donegal Township will identify individual project priorities during the first year after Regional Plan adoption to organize implementation steps.
83 Transportation improvement projects will be implemented from zero to ten years after adoption of the Regional Plan.
Funding Sources Lancaster County: Municipal Transportation Grants Program 2009-2012 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) 2009-2035 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP)
Federal: Highway Administration - Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ)
Project Name: Trails/Non-Motorized Pathways Connectivity
Project Description The region’s municipalities are promoting the construction of non-motorized pathways as another key method to alleviate traffic congestion. Residents of existing and future residences will look for alternative ways to reach their chosen destinations apart from a motorized vehicle if appropriate facilities exist. Running errands, going to school, attending athletic events, commuting to work, etc., are all activities for which walking or non-motorized vehicle use is applicable. Further, pathways encourage physical fitness, sightseeing tourism, and a sense of community.
The Regional Trail System Map at the end of this chapter delineates a long range trails system for the four municipalities aimed at providing opportunities for all these activities, within the core of Elizabethtown Borough as well as the outer reaches of each of the Townships. Many of the segments will require further physical analysis and in some cases, discussion with private property owners, before being constructed. The trails system will be made part of a Regional Official Map and key segments will be identified based on ease of accomplishing, multi-modal use, and funding competitiveness as part of a 84 Trails System Master Plan project. The region’s municipalities have begun applying for grant funding for a master plan project. Three potential priority segments are listed below:
• An extension from the Conewago Trail in Mount Joy Township to the Elizabethtown Borough street system via Route 241/Mount Gretna Road and over to Radio Road.
• Trail connection between the West Donegal Township Building and the Patton School Recreation Facilities, Stoney Brook, West Ridge Estates, Woods Edge, and other residential subdivisions to the west. Also, a trail connection from West Donegal’s Township Building to the Masonic Village trail system that ultimately leads to the Elizabethtown Borough pathways system that begins at the Amtrak train station property.
•Trail connection from the Northwest Trail in Bainbridge/Conoy Township out Stonemill Drive connecting to the far western residential subdivisions of West Donegal Township as part of the planned widening and improvement of Stonemill Drive.
Completion of these three segment projects will establish a trail connection from the Susquehanna River to the Conewago Trail running through all four municipalities.
Responsible Parties/Partners One, some, or all of the region’s municipalities, PennDOT, Lancaster County Transportation Authority, Lancaster Conservancy, local businesses, private property owners. Time Frame for Project Completion Zero to ten years after adoption of the Regional Plan.
85 Funding Resources Pennsylvania: Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Federal: Highway Administration - Transportation Enhancement (TE)
Project Name: Elizabethtown Train Station and Satellite Parking Initiative (see project details in Chapter 6 Economic Development)
Other Regional Priorities
• Cloverleaf Road, Merts Drive, and related roadway improvements as identified on and periodically updated from the Transportation Improvements Map at the end of this chapter. Continue discussions with PADEP regarding how to extend Merts Drive with minimal impacts to the designated exceptional value wetlands along the Charles Run and unnamed tributary of the Donegal Creek in that vicinity.
• Construct remaining roadway improvements listed on the Transportation Improvements Map # including official park and ride facilities and improvements to the Amtrak train station. • Coordinate with PennDOT and construct park-and-ride locations in the general vicinity of where informal park-and-ride is already occurring at the Route 283 interchanges at Cloverleaf Road and Route 743.The applicable I-2 and I-1 zoning districts permit park-and-ride facilities by right in any location within the districts, so they do not have to be at the specific, current locations if another site is suitable. The current sites were planned for because of the proximity to the interchanges.
86 • Work with Red Rose Transit Authority (RRTA) to maintain and expand bus service in the region including exploring local options (shuttles, point-to-point service, on-demand service) to serve high use locations such as supermarkets, health care facilities, and places of employment. Work with Amtrak to monitor and evaluate train service and ridership for potential service upgrades.
• Construct remaining trail segments on the Trails Map # including those connecting with Elizabethtown Area School District and Elizabethtown College properties.
• Institute regional transportation/traffic management through multi- municipal traffic planning and enforcement, forming a regional traffic authority, preparation of a regional transportation Official Map, and establishment of a regional traffic impact fee.
• Work as a region with relevant county, state, and federal agencies to support the Federal Railroad Administration’s Keystone Corridor high speed rail service and the Capital Red Rose Corridor light rail service between Harrisburg and Lancaster.
• Initiate non-construction project efforts aimed at easing Route 230/ Market Street congestion including working with large employers and Commuter Services of Pennsylvania to stagger work shifts and with businesses to reroute truck trips onto alternate roadways.
• Closely monitor Norfolk-Southern Rail Co. activities and maintain the existing public access to the Susquehanna River provided by the street– ends of Collins, Prescott, King, and Race Streets.
• Incorporate low impact commercial uses within residential
87 developments to encourage walking for day to day needs and reduce reliance on vehicle trips.
• Support Norfolk Southern’s desire to upgrade and improve their commercial rail service.
• Consider adopting access management ordinances or controls for arterial roadways.
• Utilize the Smart Transportation Guidebook in future planning and in revising roadway design criteria.
Other Regional Municipal Level Initiatives
• Sidewalks installation at busy pedestrian locations such as the Route 230 commercial district and Route 743 from the Hershey Road/Mount Gretna Road intersection to Mill Road Elementary School.
• Anticipate road improvements/new roads needed to safely accommodate traffic resulting from development of the Conewago Industrial Park, Stoney Brook subdivision, Donegal Woods subdivision, and the commercial/industrial tract east of Route 743 between West Ridge Road and Foreman Road. • South Mt Joy Street extension and bridge/internal bypass route project feasibility determination.
• Risser Mill Covered Bridge Project construction.
• Upgrade and synchronize all existing traffic signals on Market Street. Construction funding through PennDOT for this project was announced in late spring 2009. Once completed, the system is anticipated to be tied into the Elizabethtown Police Department for traffic management.
88 Consistency with Lancaster County’s Comprehensive Plan
This chapter’s focus is on multi-modal transportation improvements (roadways, trails, train, other transit) aimed at easing traffic congestion, improving traffic flow, and as a result, improving the region’s quality of life. This is consistent with Lancaster County’s Revision livable communities policies including, “Develop aesthetically pleasing, interconnected transportation systems that encourage walking, biking, and public transit, and discourage high-speed traffic”. The region also recognizes the connection (discussed further below) between its transportation system and its economic prosperity, consistent with Revision’s sustainable economy policy to “Improve the transportation system to service employers and employees”.
More particularly, specific initiatives such as the regional trail system help to achieve Lancaster County’s Long Range Transportation Plan Goal of “Develop safe and convenient bicycle and pedestrian accommodations for every type of trip and for all levels of ability”. Further, the County’s Long Range Transportation Plan Goal to “Improve the operation of highway intersections through the addition of turning lanes and improvement of traffic signals through signal timing, equipment upgrades, and signal coordination along key corridors” will be carried out by a number of the region’s transportation priorities listed above.
Similarly, the region’s transportation objectives and implementation actions are consistent with those policies found in the Connections Transportation Element of the County’s Comprehensive Plan including “Maintain and improve the County’s multimodal infrastructure and services to provide an acceptable level of service” and “Manage and operate the transportation system to reduce congestion”.
89 Interrelationships
In this region and across the country, transportation issues and initiatives have great impact on a number of local, regional, and statewide issues. For many years, a number of the nation’s states have used their transportation network as an economic development tool. For example, North Carolina paves even the most insignificant dirt roads if they have a role to play in moving goods, services, or people to, from, or within their territory. Similarly, the region’s four municipalities recognize that the region’s transportation system is tied closely to its future prosperity.
The traffic congestion relief projects highlighted earlier in the chapter will enhance the transport operations of large employers such as Mars and Giant Foods. Those same projects are aimed at easing travel to and from employment centers and retail destinations at the Conewago and Mount Joy Township Industrial Parks, along Routes 230 and 743, and in downtown Elizabethtown.
Roadway improvements, however, are not the only efforts aimed at easing travel in the region. A key alternate mode of travel is represented by the regional trail system that has been conceptually developed as part of the Strategic Plan. The system is aimed at serving those same employment centers and retail destinations, especially for those living in nearby residential developments. Further, the trail system is envisioned to serve as both an economic development and recreation resource. It will take advantage of sightseeing opportunities such as historical sites, waterways, and active farming in the region’s rural countryside. Bed and breakfasts, eateries, farm markets, and other tourist attractions will be supported by the regional trail system.
The regional trail system will also promote better health among residents and visitors alike. Bicycle use and walking, whether for touring or running errands,
90 will enhance personal fitness and help to address public health issues such as obesity. Increased walkability and connectivity within the neighborhoods of the region’s municipalities will lead to a greater sense of community among the region’s residents.
Finally, as a demonstration of the interconnectedness of not only the issues but of the actions taken to address the issues, the region’s municipalities anticipate that for all the reasons noted above, their investment in a regional trail system will reduce vehicle use, easing the burden on the region’s roadway system. Efforts focused on the renovation of the Elizabethtown Amtrak Train Station and boosting mass transit use are intended to do the same. Keeping vehicular traffic moving, expanding passenger train use, and enhanced bicycle use and walking will increase energy use efficiency in the region. The region’s municipalities plan to concentrate their efforts on these and other transportation initiatives and the region’s quality of life will benefit greatly as a result.
91 Chapter 5 - Economic Development
Overview Introduction
The Region contributes significantly to the economic base of Lancaster County Implementation as a whole. It has long enjoyed a diverse and strong economy with a healthy manufacturing base including Mars and unique economic generators such as Land Use Elizabethtown College and Masonic Village. The development and economic viability of Elizabethtown’s traditional downtown and outlying commercial Transportation locations in the region has been and will continue to be a key component in the strength of the region’s economy. Economic expansion activities are on Economic the rise throughout the region, most notably at the Route 743 and Cloverleaf Development interchanges along Route 283. While the region has maintained a healthy
environment for business and industry in the past, community leaders must Housing continue efforts to preserve and strengthen the regional economic base and
continue to contribute to the overall Lancaster County economic vitality. Community Facilities
Natural & Cultural Resources
Agricultural
Appendix
92 Strategic Economic Development Issues
● The traditional downtown is a key part of the region’s economic identity. Continued revitalization efforts can make significant contributions to the economic vitality of the region. Elizabethtown Borough’s June 2002 Exploiting Opportunities to Strengthen Elizabethtown’s Central Business District Report and April 2004 Master Plan lays out a number of steps to bring that vitality to reality. Other business centers such as the K-Mart Shopping Plaza and its surrounding businesses contribute significantly to the region’s economic activity as well.
● Mars has recently completed a significant expansion of its facilities within Elizabethtown Borough. A sluggish economy notwithstanding, the Borough Master Plan accommodates the potential of additional Mars expansion along Brown Street (Alley). Based on the Plan, the Borough rezoned small parcels in that vicinity from Mixed Use to Industrial.
● There is a clear consensus among economists and economic development experts that economic growth and competitive advantage occur at the regional level. Being competitive today requires the ability to develop networks and bridge organizational and political boundaries. Through a regional focus, the region’s four municipalities can succeed at their economic efforts.
● It is understood that commercial sprawl weakens the economic competitiveness of older, core commercial areas. To reinforce the economic health of existing commercial areas in the region, it is critical that efforts be aimed at continued enhancement of opportunities for sustainable retail businesses within the region’s core commercial areas, and that redevelopment and infill development opportunities along
93 Route 230 be pursued before allowing new commercial and business development on land beyond those core areas in the region.
● Elizabethtown Amtrak train station and surrounding area improvements. Improving the train station area will aid in expanding the regional economic base by enhancing business travel to and from areas such as Harrisburg, Lancaster and Philadelphia for employment and by attracting small businesses to service those traveling.
● The 2000 Census unemployment rate of 1.3% indicates a strong regional employment base; however, continued residential growth in the region will increase the demand for municipal and school district services. Expansion of the tax base with additional industry and office park development will aid in paying for additional municipal services.
● Industrial development at the Cloverleaf Road interchange of Route 283. The Mount Joy Township Industrial park is difficult to access. Cloverleaf Road between Routes 230 and 283 is classified as a minor arterial but is only a two-lane road. It remains a two-lane road of local classification on the opposite side of Route 230 where access to the Industrial Park occurs. All other access to the Park is by two-lane road as well. These limitations and that associated with the Route 230/Cloverleaf Road interchange confirm the difficult accessibility as an obstacle to filling the park. A Mount Joy Township June 2006 Zoning Ordinance amendment established an Industrial Interchange Development District at the interchange. The amendment is intended to coordinate transportation improvements (roadways, signals) with new industrial development in the vicinity of the interchange to complement the industrial activity that already exists. It is also meant to contain intense uses within the Development District and not allow them to extend beyond into the Township’s rural and agricultural areas.
94 ● Heavy use of the Routes 743/283 interchange presents both an economic development opportunity and growth management challenge for the future. The Mount Joy Township June 2006 Zoning Ordinance amendment established a Commercial/ Mixed Use Interchange Development District at the interchange. It is meant to foster a commercial village type development with residential, institutional, and recreational uses included as well. The challenge for the region will be to insure that the commercial development that ultimately takes place there does not detract from other commercial economic development efforts elsewhere in the region, particularly within downtown Elizabethtown.
● Regional economic development recruitment efforts have been hampered, at times, due to water and sewer service capacity shortfalls. Careful planning of the location of economic development activity as well as utility service capacity is necessary to properly support economic development. Water and sewer infrastructure development needs to be carried out at Conewago Industrial Park and the future professional park in the vicinity of the West Donegal Township complex.
● The prospect of economic opportunities and negative impacts related to potential industrial development in Conoy Township will require a regional focus to most effectively manage both circumstances.
● Eco-tourism (recreational outfitters, entertainment, restaurants, tour guides, etc.) associated with the Northwest River Trail and public access points at the Susquehanna River presents a sustainable style of economic development in Conoy Township. Agricultural related tourism (sight-seeing, farm tours, food stands) is also an opportunity for Conoy Township and the region as a whole.
95 ● With the Agricultural land use category (Lancaster County data) comprising sixty six percent (66%) of the land in the region, agricultural production and related support businesses contribute significantly to the region’s economy.
● While no formal studies have been conducted recently, rough estimates from Elizabethtown College peg the college’s economic impact on the region at $8,000,000 annually considering numerous factors including paid salaries for staff, their estimated expenditures; the value of volunteer hours donated by students and staff; actual dollars spent by the college in building and construction; estimates of student spending locally, etc.
● Masonic Village estimates a substantial economic impact on the region. Over 1350 individuals were employed as of April 2008 at the Village and wages, salaries, and benefits paid in 2007 totaled $53,427,943. Capital projects on the campus in 2007 and 2008 expended roughly $48,350,000. Total residents as of April 2008 were 1732. Facilities open to the public including Sell Chapel, the Farm Market, Three Loaves Café, the Museum, and approximately 6 miles of walking paths and 6.25 acres of gardens add to the attractiveness of the Elizabethtown area as a place to live.
● Non-residential to residential assessed property value ratio – based on current Lancaster and Dauphin County data, comparison of the region’s non-residential and residential property total assessed values and ratios are displayed below:
96 Municipalities All Other Land Residential Ratio Value Value Conoy Township, Elizabethtown Borough, Mount Joy Township & $1,103,454,100 $365,329,600 3 : 1 West Donegal Township (Lancaster County) Elizabeth Township, Lititz Borough $785,596,400 $1,499,779,900 1 : 2 Warwick Township (Lancaster County) Manheim Borough, Penn Township, $1,002,076,100 $1,087,359,000 1 : 1 Rapho Township Derry Township (Dauphin County) $4,697,451,300 $1,300,461,700 3.6 : 1
As shown in the table above, the Region has a fairly substantial non- residential tax base relative to its residential assessed value at a 3 to 1 ratio. Other comparative region’s ratios range from 3.6 to 1 to 1 to 2. This is a good foundation from which the Region can continue to move forward.
The ultimate tax burden on the Region’s residents and the region’s ability to financially support community services, however, will depend upon a number of other influencing factors that vary from region to region. First, demand for services and the efficiency and effectiveness of the use of tax revenues generated. Second, demographics such as the size of age groups. Senior citizens do not demand the level of costly services such as education that families with school age children do. Third, the amount of tax exempt properties will impact actual tax revenues generated.
Case in point: the Region and the Lititz/Warwick/Elizabeth region are both generally considered healthy, vigorous areas. The income levels of each region are comparable while property tax rates are slightly lower
97 in the Lititz/Warwick region. However, the non-residential to residential assessed values ratios are extremely different. So, while a relatively large non-residential tax base is strong start toward financial strength, many other factors influence the final outcome.
Overall Goal
A vibrant and sustainable regional economy that will both create growth opportunities for business and industry and enhance the quality of life and experiences for workers, residents, students and visitors.
Regional Economic Development Implementation Priorities
To reach the overall goal for Economic Development and to achieve each municipality’s objectives and strategies contained in the Appendix, the region’s municipalities identified steps and actions to be taken. Much of the region’s planning and analysis that led to the identification of the implementation actions and projects took place during Steering Committee meetings. In addition, Elizabethtown Borough determined it would rely upon the conclusions of its April 2004 Borough Master Plan for economic development direction. Finally, previous zoning initiatives in the three Townships focusing non-residential growth and development set the stage for economic development in targeted locations such as industrial parks and mixed use areas. The Future Land Use map in Chapter 4 reflects these choices and the prospective use of Transferable Development Rights (TDRs) will reinforce those development targets.
Key initiatives that overlap Plan topics and will help the region reach multiple goals are described below in some detail including who is to carry out the initiative, time frames for completion, and funding sources. Additional implementation
98 priorities follow. A compilation of all the chapters’ key initiatives in matrix form for easy reference is found in Chapter 3.
Project Name: Regional Planning and Development Organization
Project Description There is a clear consensus among economists and economic development experts that economic growth and competitive advantage occur at the regional level. Being competitive today requires the ability to develop networks and bridge organizational and political boundaries. The region’s municipalities have previously organized joint organizations to pursue special purpose projects and objectives. Using those and other regional organization models as a starting point, the region’s municipalities and other partners such as the Elizabethtown Area Chamber of Commerce will consider the value of a regional planning and development entity. Such an entity would be anticipated to provide advocacy, planning and implementation capacity, technical assistance and financial resources toward the completion of significant Regional Plan, economic development including regional market analysis, recreation, and other projects throughout the region.
Responsible Parties Elected and appointed leadership from each of the four municipalities to form a regional study group.
Time Frame for Project Completion Regional study group will take approximately nine (9) months to complete their investigation and present findings.
Funding Sources The municipalities have sufficient in-house capacity to research, understand and make decisions regarding the development of such a regional organization. No outside funding should be necessary to complete this work and/or to make 99 a final determination. Should the region move forward to create such an entity, there are numerous funding resources, most coming through the PA Department of Community and Economic Development, to assist with specific economic development project implementation.
Project Name: Elizabethtown Train Station and Satellite Parking Initiative
Project Description Work is underway in Elizabethtown Borough to create an Intermodal Transportation Center at the site of the Elizabethtown Train Station. The station, originally built in the early 20th century, is one of the fastest growing stops on the Keystone Corridor with a ridership that tops 51,000 annually and has reached as much as 90,000 in a year. Efforts to renovate and expand the Elizabethtown train station includes upgrading and restoration of the existing station, surrounding site improvements and the development of satellite parking for regional commuters. The overall project will provide better access, parking, and lighting as well as ensure rail commuter safety.
Responsible Parties Elizabethtown Borough will continue to lead this initiative with active support from Lancaster County Commissioners, regional municipal officials, and economic development professionals, as well as Elizabethtown College and Masonic Village.
Time Frame for Project Completion Project is ongoing with an estimated completion in 2010.
Funding Sources Lancaster County: Municipal Transportation Grants and Urban Enhancement Funds
100 Pennsylvania: Dept. of Community and Economic Development; Dept. of Transportation
Federal: US Dept. of Transportation; Economic Development Administration
Project Name: Center Square Renovations and High & Market Streets Streetscaping
Project Description Elizabethtown Borough and the Elizabethtown Economic Development Corporation were awarded a 2005 Lancaster County Smart Growth Leadership Award for the Downtown Elizabethtown Master Plan. The Master Plan sets a Smart Growth foundation for revitalization and enhancement of the Borough’s central business district, while preserving key historic and environmental features. The Master Plan strengthens the business base in the downtown; gives redevelopment and infill alternatives to the existing building stock; strengthens the connection to major employers; supplies regional market for housing, specialty retail, office and industrial space; engages the community; and uses community resources wisely. Through this specific project, the region will benefit from completed renovations to Center Square, downtown streetscape improvements on High Street and Market Street, as well as pedestrian and non-motorized connections from the downtown to the greater region. This project will build on downtown redevelopment initiatives already carried out including: designation of a Mixed-Use Zoning District for the West High Street corridor, South Poplar Street, and Wilson Avenue which has begun to attract new business and development; the Sycamore Square residential projects; and, design of downtown pedestrian pathway improvements expected to go to bid in early 2009.
101 Responsible Parties Elizabethtown Borough will lead this initiative with active support from Lancaster County Commissioners, regional municipal officials, economic development professionals, as well as Elizabethtown College and Masonic Village.
Time Frame for Project Completion 2012
Funding Sources Lancaster County: Municipal Transportation Grants and Urban Enhancement Funds
Pennsylvania: Dept. of Community and Economic Development; Dept. of Transportation
Federal: US Dept. of Transportation; Economic Development Administration
Project Name: Route 743 Interchange District Development
Project Description Increasing use of the Route 743 exit off of Route 283 presents both a growth management challenge and an economic development opportunity as pressure to develop land surrounding the interchange in some form mounts. The region intends to capitalize on this opportunity by encouraging the creation of commercial and/or mixed use development within the I-1 Zone at the Route 743 Interchange.
Responsible Parties Mount Joy Township will lead this initiative with active support from Lancaster County Commissioners, regional municipal officials and economic development professionals.
102 Time Frame for Project Completion Ongoing through 2020
Funding Sources Lancaster County: Municipal Transportation Grants and Urban Enhancement Funds
Pennsylvania: Dept. of Community and Economic Development; Dept. of Transportation
Federal: US Dept. of Transportation; Economic Development Administration
Project Name: Cloverleaf Road Interchange District Development
Project Description Increasing interest in and growth surrounding the Cloverleaf interchange with Route 283 presents both a growth management challenge and an economic development opportunity. The region intends to capitalize on this opportunity by attracting industrial development within the I-2 (Cloverleaf Road) Interchange Development District. Transportation improvements to improve vehicular access to the district and existing industrial park are illustrated on the Transportation Improvements Map found at the end of Chapter 5 of the Regional Plan and their details described in the November 2006 Elizabethtown Area Transportation Study.
Responsible Parties Mount Joy Township will lead this initiative with active support from Lancaster County Commissioners, regional municipal officials and economic development professionals.
103 Time Frame for Project Completion Ongoing through 2020
Funding Sources Lancaster County: Municipal Transportation Grants and Urban Enhancement Funds
Pennsylvania: Dept. of Community and Economic Development; Dept. of Transportation
Federal: US Dept. of Transportation; Economic Development Administration
Other Regional Priorities
● Revitalize downtown Elizabethtown Borough with a specific property- based focus on targeted redevelopment opportunities. Encourage downtown development, including adaptive reuse and mixed use, in accordance with the Exploiting Opportunities Report and Master Plan for Downtown Elizabethtown in cooperation with local businesses, institutions and municipalities
● Improve the region’s transportation network to ensure economic vitality, the efficient movement of people and goods throughout the region, and improved access to key industrial/commercial areas. Transportation enhancements will include the development of more non-motorized paths, improved transit, decreased traffic and increased truck access to locations that are currently difficult to access (traffic improvement projects are part of the Official Map project found in the Transportation Plan Chapter).
● Pursue redevelopment and infill development opportunities, especially
104 to address underutilized and vacant properties within existing designated growth areas.
● Create sustainable retail opportunities in Elizabethtown Borough’s central business district and designated areas in the region’s townships, particularly aimed at providing for those retail services identified by the 2008 Community Survey that are less often found in the region.
● Develop a Professional/Office Park Zone within West Donegal Township. Evaluate the current commercial and industrial zones against the professional office zone.
● Ongoing regionalization of water and sewer utility services will enable comprehensive planning and ultimate improvements to service delivery in line with regional growth.
● Consider implementation of a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Program to encourage economic development supportive growth throughout the region (development of a regional TDR program is a first level regional priority under the Agricultural Plan chapter).
● Continue/expand the allowance of ag-related businesses in appropriate zoning districts.
● Consider implementation of a regional branding/marketing effort that clearly defines and describes the desirability of the region as a place to live and work, the nature of which serves as the driving force for community and economic development initiatives.
● Pursue payments in lieu of taxes from the region’s tax-exempt properties as well as continued private and non-profit sector partnerships to efficiently provide community services.
105 Consistency with Lancaster County’s Comprehensive Plan
Overall, the region’s implementation priorities carry forward a number of Revision’s sustainable economy goals. Downtown redevelopment, industrial park enhancement, and agriculture support initiatives spotlighted in this and other chapters of this plan pursue relevant County policies such as “Direct commercial and industrial development activities to areas within Urban and Village Growth Boundaries where there is a full range of public facilities, services, and infrastructure to support business development”; “Attract new manufacturing, commercial, and professional businesses that provide quality jobs and have minimal impact on the natural environment”; and, “Increase the profitability of farming to insure that it remains an integral part of the economy”. Development of the regional trail system that will provide enhanced bicycle and pedestrian access to tourism-based cultural, natural, and historical sites and facilities is concurrent with the County’s goal to “Develop tourism facilities that improve the economic viability of the County in a manner that is in harmony with our distinct historic, cultural, and natural heritage”.
More particularly, Lancaster County’s growth management element Balance calls for “attaining sixty five percent (65%) of the total increase in employment acreage or fifty five percent (55%) of new jobs within the urban growth area”. The region’s future land use map at the end of Chapter 3 reinforces those targets by maintaining and in some cases, pulling in, existing growth area boundaries to further concentrate growth within desired locations. Further, Lancaster County’s Tourism element’s focus on enhancing visitor mobility, promoting a sense of place, and organizing for tourism development is consistent with the aims of the Regional Planning and Development Organization and Regional Trails System implementation projects of this Plan.
106 Interrelationships
The region’s municipalities are intent on maintaining a diversified economic base. To do that, they will take advantage of the interconnections among the region’s transportation system, community facilities, natural, cultural, and economic resources.
The Strategic Plan calls for focused economic development in downtown Elizabethtown and in designated growth areas within the Townships. Those efforts will be intertwined with transportation improvements (roadway and alternative modes) that will support expanded development by enabling more efficient travel to, from, and within those regional growth areas. Those improvements include traffic signal coordination along Route 230 as well as road improvements to a combination of roads that offer a way around Route 230 and outside of the region to product delivery destinations.
Renovation of the Elizabethtown Amtrak Train Station will enhance travel to and from Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Philadelphia enabling the region’s residents an expanded choice of employment locations. This will attract to the region new residents and businesses with an employment or business interest in those locations. Those new residents and businesses will be key components of the region’s economic development expansion. It is these economic development implications associated with the train station that led the region’s municipalities to list the train station renovation (associated with a mode of transportation) as an economic development priority.
The region’s municipalities also view their economic development goal clearly coordinating with development of a regional trail system. The trail system is designed to interconnect outlying portions of the region with the designated growth areas and core of the region. Similarly, the region’s interior neighborhoods will be connected by the trail system to employment centers
107 and retail destinations at the Conewago and Industrial Parks, along Routes 230 and 743, and in the heart of Elizabethtown’s downtown. General public use of the cultural and other amenities offered by Elizabethtown College will be enhanced by the trail system. Bed and breakfasts, eateries, and other tourist attractions in the outlying portions of the region will be served by the trail system. Earnest bicyclists and hikers on the Northwest and Conewago Trails will easily be able to connect with the regional trail system, including direct access to the Elizabethtown downtown, making the region more attractive to recreational enthusiasts.
108 Chapter 6 - Housing
Overview Introduction
Implementation Overall, the region has exhibited strong housing growth over the past fifteen (15) years. Median housing values have increased significantly – ranging from Land Use 60% to 120% - between the years 1990 and 2005. The region’s population increased by 32% over that same time period, helping to stoke the regional Transportation demand for housing. While the housing market has slowed considerably in the last two years, the region’s overall quality of life will continue to make it a Economic desirable place to live. Meeting the housing needs of existing and prospective Development residents subject to a variety of ages, incomes, and tastes in housing presents an opportunity and challenge to promote a satisfying housing mix that enhances Housing the region’s sense of community.
Community Facilities
Natural & Cultural Resources
Agricultural
Appendix
109 The Region’s municipal population projections found in the Background Profiles of the Regional Plan translate into future dwelling unit needs as follows:
2000 2020 2000 2020 2000-2007 2008-2020 Municipality Population Population Dwelling Dwelling Dwelling Unit Dwelling Unit Size Unit Needs Permits Units Needed Issued Conoy 3,067 3,800 2.78/Unit 264 158 106 Township Elizabethtown 11,987 12,600 2.31/Unit 265 148 117 Borough Mount Joy 7,944 13,000 2.74/Unit 1,845 760 1,085 Township West Donegal 6,539 8,900 2.61/Unit 905 248 657* Township
*Note: West Donegal Township officials estimate that as of early 2009, plans have been approved or are under planning review for an additional 650 homes in the Township.
Strategic Housing Issues
• As noted above, the median housing prices in the four municipalities have jumped significantly since 1990, in some cases more than doubling. However, Lancaster County’s 2005 Housing Affordability Study concluded that three of the four municipalities rank in the upper half of County municipalities in terms of housing affordability. Mount Joy Township ranks the third most affordable in Lancaster County, having on average 24% of household income used in housing costs. Conoy Township has an average of 28% of household income spent on housing. West Donegal Township’s average percent of household income spent on housing was 31% and Elizabethtown Borough’s average was 32%. At the same time, median household income for the region is higher than that for the County overall. So a rising median household income in the region may be keeping pace with
110 increasing home prices, while those with incomes less than the median may be faced with greater housing affordability challenges. Lancaster County encourages a target minimum for inclusionary housing of fifteen percent of new residential development.
• There is a good mix of existing housing styles and types across the region. The percentage of single family detached units within the region in 2000 (58.1%) matches that in Lancaster County. Other housing types ranging from single family semi-detached to townhouses and apartments were reasonably well represented across the region. This is particularly true within Elizabethtown Borough where a majority of the housing is not single family detached.
• The percentage of owner-occupied housing in the region (71.8%), according to the 2000 US Census, is slightly higher than that across Lancaster County. A large majority of owner occupied housing indicates a fairly stable housing situation, one worth continuing to promote.
• Outside of rentals at Masonic Village, the bulk of regional rental housing rates in 2000 ranged between $300 and $750 per month. Property value inflation since then may have moved those rates up to a range of $400 to $900 a month. Median rent values in the region in 2000 matched those in the County as a whole. Further, Elizabethtown Borough recently instituted a code enforcement initiative.
• However, in West Donegal Township, rental housing rates are far different from those noted above. Based on the 2000 US Census, only twenty three percent (23%) of rental housing in West Donegal falls within the $300 to $750 per month rental rate as compared to nearly eighty percent (80%) elsewhere in the region falling within that rental rate range. Additional effort to meet the need for affordable rental housing in the Township is needed. It should be noted that Masonic Village is looking for ways to increase its service to a broader spectrum 111 of income levels. Masonic Village’s current service includes the general public as well as those residents who are members of the Masonic Order. Masonic Village is examining the use of modular housing villages with their lower initial construction costs but agreeable aesthetics. It is also evaluating the use of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to construct “affordable” senior housing on its campus.
• Much of the housing in the region designed to serve seniors is being provided on the Masonic Village campus. In fact, based on 2000 US Census data and March 2008 Masonic Village figures, the vast majority of individuals in West Donegal at or over the age of 75 years old lived in Masonic Village. The percent of individuals at or over the age of 75 years old who otherwise live in West Donegal is close to zero. The percentage of such individuals living in the Region, apart from those living at Masonic Village, is approximately 2.2%. That figure is nearly equivalent to the percentage living in Lancaster County as a whole. Demographically, it is anticipated that senior housing demand in the region, across the County, and the state, will increase as more “baby boomers” reach retirement age. Effort at multiple approaches to meeting seniors’ housing needs will need to continue.
• Communities in Lancaster County are also noting a trend of long-time residents wishing to “age-in-place” in their neighborhoods. To satisfy this evolving market niche, zoning regulations need to accommodate “in-law quarters” and a portion of future housing starts will need to feature accessible and low-maintenance design in mixed housing developments.
• The fairly common desire for larger homes in large-lot suburban style subdivisions over the past fifteen to twenty years is well illustrated in the developments of that era across the region. However, more recent trends indicate a growing desire among some
112 segments of the population for housing in a more compact setting with more convenient and non-motorized access to everyday needs.
• Current allowable densities in each of the region’s municipal zoning ordinances that would apply to those lands within designated growth areas generally range as follows:
Conoy Township 3 to 6 units per acre Elizabethtown Borough 3 to 12 units per acre Mount Joy Township 2 to 6 units per acre West Donegal Township 2 to 6 units per acre
Straight application of these current allowable densities will not achieve the Lancaster County new development goal of an average of 7.5 dwelling units per acre within Urban Growth Areas over the entire region. However, eventual use of a transferable development rights (TDR) program and other tools in keeping with the municipalities’ commitment to that goal in this Plan will enable the municipalities to focus new residential growth to intended locations and move resulting densities toward the County’s target.
Overall Goal
Maintain and expand housing options with a focus on the region’s Urban Growth Areas and Rural Centers to meet the needs of the region, consistent with municipal population projections and regardless of age, income, or household size.
Regional Housing Development Implementation Priorities
To reach the overall goal for Housing and to achieve each municipality’s
113 objectives and strategies contained in the Appendix, the region’s municipalities identified steps and actions to be taken. Much of the region’s planning and analysis that led to the identification of the implementation actions and projects took place during Steering Committee meetings. The Future Land Use map in Chapter 4 reflects residential growth area choices and the prospective use of Transferable Development Rights (TDRs) will reinforce those development targets. Decisions to be made during the Zoning Lexicon implementation project and as part of ongoing implementation strategies described in Chapter 3 will further refine density levels and the degree to which the municipalities wish to pursue the density goals of Lancaster County.
Key initiatives that overlap Plan topics and will help the region reach multiple goals are described below in some detail including who is to carry out the initiative, time frames for completion, and funding sources. Additional implementation priorities follow. A compilation of all the chapters’ key initiatives in matrix form for easy reference is found in Chapter 3.
Project Name: Preferred Housing Development Zoning and Subdivision and Land Development Ordinances Provisions
Project Description To address several regional issues and meet the housing objectives of the municipalities, revisions will be made to each municipality’s zoning and subdivision and land development ordinances. As noted above, there is an increasing desire for more modest housing in a compact setting convenient to the everyday needs of residents. Further, within any one neighborhood, a variety of home types with a focus on ease of use and occupancy appeals to a broad audience of various ages and capabilities. The municipalities will evaluate and consider revising their land use ordinances targeting topics including the following:
• Allowing in-law quarters/“granny flats” in residential zoning districts.
114 • Encouraging live-work/accessory dwelling units in commercial districts.
• Allowing conversion of non-residential structures to residential uses.
• Encouraging universal design features within new and renovated housing such as step-less entries, lever handles instead of doorknobs, wider hallways and doorways, first floor master bedrooms, and accessible bathrooms.
• Use Planned Residential Development provisions, cluster style development, infill and redevelopment, and other approaches within designated growth areas to promote residential development diversity in lot sizes, lot widths, setbacks, and building types, to provide for a variety of single-family and multi-family housing options, to help promote affordable housing for all ages and income levels, and to help provide a range of housing options for aging residents that will allow them to “age in place” within their homes, in alternative homes within their municipality, or within their neighborhoods.
• Incorporate transit-oriented design and development (TOD) along transit routes within designated growth areas to support existing transit service and encourage its use.
• Use non-motorized paths and sidewalks to connect developments and neighborhoods with each other as well as with community facilities and commercial areas throughout the municipalities.
• Subdivision and land development ordinance provisions that require new development to connect with adjoining existing development in at least two (2) locations so long as safety and compatibility concerns can be adequately addressed.
115 • Provide incentives such as density and height increases in exchange for the provision of enhanced architectural features or details such as public pathways and spaces, joint/shared parking, reduced street widths and parking requirements, streetscape furniture, landscaping, and other improvements, or the purchase of TDRs, or the setting aside of a percentage of housing units in a development that is affordable to low, moderate, or average workforce income households.
Responsible Parties Municipal elected and appointed officials.
Time Frame for Project Completion Within two years of Regional Plan adoption.
Funding Sources Lancaster County: Urban Enhancement Fund
Pennsylvania: Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Land Use Planning Technical Assistance Program (LUPTAP)
Project Name: Institute a Regional Transferable Development Rights Program (see project description and other details found in the Agricultural plan chapter)
116 Other Regional Priorities
• Develop collaborative relationships with home builders, non-profits, and County agencies to carry out workforce affordable housing initiatives encouraged as part of municipal zoning and subdivision and land development ordinances.
• Tailor zoning and subdivision and land development ordinances provisions to appropriately assist Elizabethtown College and Masonic Village in their efforts to meet the housing needs of all users.
• Enhance property maintenance regulations and evaluate approaches such as split property assessment to ensure and promote adequate property upkeep and investment.
• Reinforce opportunities for housing development in and around the Elizabethtown downtown and train station.
• Consider incentives for “green building” design and techniques including the use of green roofs, renewable energies, grey water recycling, among others.
Consistency with Lancaster County’s Comprehensive Plan
Modifications to each of the region’s municipal zoning ordinances anticipated under the regional implementation priorities noted above are consistent with Revision housing policies such as “Design new communities to accommodate citizens from a wide range of economic levels, occupations, age groups, backgrounds, and interests in new residential communities”, and “Design new
117 communities in a form that integrates housing, shops, work places, schools, parks, and civic facilities essential to the daily life of residents”.
In addition, the region’s housing implementation priorities in concert with the Regional Plan’s Future Land Use focus on mixed use growth areas are aimed at helping “Older neighborhoods (urban and village) to be reinvigorated through revitalization strategies that will help expand housing choice through infill, adaptive re-use, mixed use and other initiatives”.
Lancaster County has set Housing targets that it will encourage municipalities across the County to meet for location and density of new residential growth in Choices, the Housing Element of the County’s Comprehensive Plan. Those targets are as follows:
• Plan for 85 percent of new residential growth is to occur in Urban Growth Areas.
• Plan for 15 percent of new residential growth in rural areas to occur in Rural Centers.
• Plan for proposed new density targets in Urban Growth Areas of an average of 7.5 dwelling units per acre, and an average of 2.5 dwelling units per acre in Village Growth Areas.
Broadly speaking, the region’s municipalities agree with these goals. Decisions made by the municipalities to concentrate growth within defined growth areas as noted in the first two targets above are reflected in the future land use map of Chapter 4 of this Plan. The region’s municipalities plan a combination of rezonings to achieve the targets above, and do so, within the region’s designated growth areas and on a phased development basis. The prospective use of TDRs (Transferable Development Rights) will help to reinforce those targets as well as place a focus on downtown Elizabethtown that can help
118 bolster economic incentive for rehabilitation of housing there. Fine tuning and coordination of density allowances within each municipality will take place as part of the Zoning Lexicon project and ongoing implementation strategies described in Chapter 4 of this Plan. All of these steps combined will keep the region consistent with the Goal and Objectives of Balance as well.
Interrelationships
As noted above, there is an increasing desire for more modest housing in a compact setting convenient to the everyday needs of residents. The region’s municipalities will promote achievement of that housing objective with their focus on economic development in designated growth areas, developing a trail system that connects neighborhoods with employment centers and retail destinations, and implementing roadway improvements aimed at serving those designated growth areas and destinations.
Future housing development focused within designated growth areas and downtown Elizabethtown is intended to support economic activity in those same locations. In addition, such a future housing pattern will enable a tradeoff for agricultural preservation in outlying portions of the region. The region’s municipalities are carefully determining the use of Transferable Development Rights (TDRs) as a tool to direct growth to appropriate growth areas and away from productive agricultural lands.
The same objective of housing in designated growth areas is intended to moderate the region’s cost of community services provision. Designated growth areas (as further described in the Future Land Use chapter) have been chosen with careful consideration for the presence and ease of providing community services. By locating the region’s designated growth areas in a relatively compact form, the region’s municipalities will avoid the costly mistake of having to extend services great distances, whether they are
119 sewage treatment, water supply, public safety, recreation, or other community services.
With regard to housing affordability, the 2005 Lancaster County Planning Commission Housing Affordability Study showed housing prices in the region to be relatively affordable in comparison to median household incomes. All of the municipalities were at or above the mid-range of comparative affordability for all municipalities in Lancaster County. However, recognizing that maintaining relatively affordable housing is an ongoing challenge particularly in the West Donegal Township rental market, the region’s municipalities have identified implementation actions meant to directly address the cost of housing. As noted above, initiatives such as allowing in-law quarters/“granny flats” in all residential zoning districts, encouraging live-work units in commercial districts, using Planned Residential Development provisions and other approaches to promote residential development diversity and affordable housing for all ages and income levels, and developing collaborative relationships with home builders, non-profits, and County agencies to carry out workforce affordable housing are part of the region’s efforts.
Socially, housing in a compact setting convenient to the everyday needs of residents along with a variety of home types within any one neighborhood with a focus on ease of usability will appeal to a broad audience of various ages, incomes, backgrounds, and capabilities. Connected with an increasingly pedestrian oriented transportation network, such development will encourage a more integrated, tight knit community throughout the region, enhancing social and cultural relationships.
Energy savings result from more compact development and pedestrian oriented transportation. Joined with the focused residential and economic development within targeted growth areas of Chapters 3 and 5, transportation improvements aimed at reducing vehicle idling time in Chapter 4, and development with more environmentally friendly and sustainable approaches
120 in Chapter 8, make the region’s growth management approach part of the region’s energy efficiency initiative.
121 Chapter 7 - Community Facilities
Overview Introduction
Community facilities and services (water, sewer, police, fire, ambulance, parks Implementation and recreation, schools) contribute significantly to the health, safety, and quality of life of the region’s residents. However, the region’s strong population growth Land Use has, at times, challenged its ability to provide community facilities and services that meet its residents’ needs. In addition, extensions of some facilities have led Transportation to development that threatens to outstrip the capacities of other facilities. The region’s intent will be to create a logical development pattern for the efficient Economic provision of community services as well as maintain a balance of service demand Development and capacity.
Housing
Community Facilities
Natural & Cultural Resources
Agricultural
Appendix
122 Strategic Issues: Services & Facilities Assessment
• Based on the Falmouth Wastewater Treatment Facility Chapter 94 report, demand will reach 90% of the plant capacity by 2019. Planning for facility expansion must be well underway or a cap on additional growth must be in place by then.
• Based on the Bainbridge Wastewater Treatment Facility Chapter 94 report, demand will reach 90% of the plant capacity by 2014. Planning for facility expansion must be well underway or a cap on additional growth must be in place by then. The Chapter 94 report indicates that demand will exceed the plant capacity in the year 2017.
• The Bainbridge Wellhead Protection Plan Update of 2007 notes that the Bainbridge Water Authority’s wellfield can maintain a sustainable production rate of 75,000 gallons per day (gpd). The Plan Update indicates that the projected demand through the year 2020 from a population of up to 1,470 can be satisfactorily met.
• The Borough of Elizabethtown’s Wastewater Treatment Facility’s Chapter 94 Report indicates capacity in excess of demand in the year 2020. However, estimates of the impact of PA DEP’s latest Chesapeake Bay Strategy requirements indicate that the plant’s capacity limit would be reached in the year 2015. Facility planning and/or growth caps must be under consideration well before that time if current efforts to overturn DEP’s Bay Strategy requirements are unsuccessful. 123 • According to the Elizabethtown Area Water Authority’s 2005 Water System Evaluation, the Authority’s recent average peak production (from a supply combination of a half dozen wells and Conewago Creek) of 1.66 MGD would reach 2.0 MGD by the start of the year 2013. That level is 90% of the system’s safe yield of 2.21 MGD. However, the future growth projected in the Authority’s 2005 Evaluation may moderate significantly based on the current slow housing market and pending strict DEP limitations on the Elizabethtown sewage treatment plant for the Chesapeake Bay Strategy. If future growth meets the 2005 Evaluation projections, then planning for a guaranteed source of additional water production must be well underway by 2012; if growth is tempered as noted above, demand for water may remain below 90% of the 2.21 MGD safe yield through 2021.
• The Mount Joy Township Authority estimates that capacity at its sewage treatment facility will handle demand roughly through the year 2025. However, there is very little additional water supply available from the Authority’s two wells (each rated at roughly 200 gallons per minute) for any development that has not already come to the Authority and asked for a commitment. No additional lands should be classified for growth until current and/or future efforts to expand supply have succeeded.
• Masonic Village currently operates its own water system, which is interconnected for emergency purposes to that of the Elizabethtown Water Authority. The Village anticipates sufficient water availability to meet its 2020 needs.
124 Regional Water & Wastewater Facilities Capacity Versus Demand Status Assessment through the Year 2020 Water/Wastewater Facility Demand is 90% of Capacity Demand Exceeds Capacity Falmouth Wastewater 2019 Beyond 2020 Bainbridge Wastewater 2014 2017 Bainbridge Water Beyond 2020 Beyond 2020 Elizabethtown Wastewater Beyond 2020 Beyond 2020 Elizabethtown Area Water Authority 2013 2018 Mount Joy Township Authority Beyond 2020 Beyond 2020 Wastewater Mount Joy Township Authority Current supply commitments Current supply commitments Water generally equal capacity generally equal capacity West Donegal Township Authority (See note) (See note)
(note: West Donegal Township Authority provides sewage conveyance and collecion service to the residents of West Donegal Township. These services are projected to be adequate through 2020. The Authority does not provide sewage treatment services.)
• Population and housing growth within the Borough of Elizabethtown is projected to be minimal in the future. However, ongoing efforts at downtown revitalization and redevelopment could increase demand for retail and business related police services. Further, Elizabethtown College activities bring unique demands for police services.
• Susquehanna Regional Police Department staffing appears adequate to
meet general future needs in Conoy Township. Activity at as well as in and out of the anticipated Ethanol Plant may generate unique demands.
• Commercial centers, multi-family housing complexes, and increased general growth pose challenges to the Northwest Regional Police Department. To effectively meet those demands, department staffing allocation adjustments and specialty service provision may be required.
• Emergency Services Act 7 of 2008 went into effect in May 2008. The legislation clarifies that townships are responsible for fire and emergency 125 services in their community and directs townships to consult with fire and EMS providers to determine appropriate service levels. The Township Board of Supervisors still determines the amount of their (financial) support. Fire and EMS providers must provide an annual itemized account of how they spent township funds. Townships cannot make additional donations without consulting this annual report.
• Fire service and emergency response providers indicate an ability to meet the needs of their service areas for the next half dozen years. They are very concerned about their ability to meet service needs beyond that time period due to the rising costs of vehicles, gear, and equipment and continued reduction in the number of volunteers willing to serve. Fund raising duties, increased state training and credentialing requirements and less flexibility to leave work to respond to emergencies are among the factors squeezing fire and emergency response volunteerism.
• There is excess demand for athletic fields in the region – the region is blessed with a number of active community based organizations providing recreational and athletic programming to region residents.
Demand for use of athletic fields has, however, outstripped supply. This need is emphasized in the Elizabethtown Area School District’s medium range plans to convert the lands it owns and provides for the Elizabethtown Fair into more athletic field use. Meeting the need for more athletic fields will continue to be a challenge for the region in the future.
• Acres of parkland and open space under the ownership of the region’s municipalities and school districts indicate some shortfalls when
126 compared to the 10 acres per thousand residents standard stated in the Lancaster County 1992 Regional Open Space Plan. Using that standard, the population projections in this Plan for 2020, and parkland/open space data from the draft 2008 Lancaster Green Infrastructure Plan reveals the following:
Municipality Current Target Result Acreage Acreage Conoy Township 132.2 ac. 37 ac. 95 ac. surplus Elizabethtown Borough 165.2 ac.* 126 ac. 36 ac. surplus Mount Joy Township 115.1 a.c** 130 ac. 15 ac. deficit West Donegal Township 18.2 a.c. 91 a.c. 73 ac. deficit
*includes 49 acres of Elizabethtown College and Elizabethtown Area School District lands. **includes 38 acres in the Lancaster Conservancy’s Bellaire Woods Nature Preserve
• Masonic Village expansion continues to substantially help the region to meet its needs for senior citizen living. Trails and other recreation facilities at Masonic Village are made available to the region’s residents, complementing those facilities offered by the region’s municipalities. Masonic Village has developed a 20-year Master Plan that calls for “ridge to ridge” containment of future growth, with large areas preserved for natural preserve, wooded lands, greenways, and buffers. Among
the future growth plans for the Village are up to three hundred (300) additional cottage units, the development of a hotel, and the adaptive re- use of historical structures. Further planning includes stream restoration and implementation of an energy plan which may include renewable power sources.
• Elizabethtown College’s Campus Master Plan implementation is generally coordinated with municipal officials. It includes additional
student housing in the form of a residential village, renovation of existing
127 student housing, and consideration of a new Humanities building. These are anticipated as early priorities to be constructed as student populations require and the economy allows. Another early priority is the completion of the Cedar street emergency access road connecting Campus Road and Mount Joy Street.
• Elizabethtown Area School District’s plan for a new intermediate elementary school is intended to enable the School District to meet medium range space needs; future planning for its lands currently occupied by the Elizabethtown Fair is contemplated to address multi- purpose, longer range needs for athletic and play fields.
•A small portion of the region is served by Donegal School District.
Overall Goal
Plan, manage, and develop community facilities and services that enhance the health, safety, and quality of life for workers, residents, students, and visitors; support local groups and organizations that serve and benefit the community.
Regional Community Facilities & Services Implementation Priorities
To reach the overall goal for Community Facilities and Services and to achieve each municipality’s objectives and strategies contained in the Appendix, the region’s municipalities identified steps and actions to be taken. Much of the region’s planning and analysis that led to the identification of the implementation
128 actions and projects took place during Steering Committee meetings. The Future Land Use map in Chapter 3 reflects growth area choices that are intended to be generally consistent with current and projected service areas of the region’s community facilities. The prospective use of Transferable Development Rights (TDRs) described in Chapter 3 will be aimed at matching areas of designated growth especially with the presence of central utilities. Annual budget, Chapter 94, and other planning efforts will continue the region’s efforts at meeting the community facilities and services needs assessed in this chapter.
Key initiatives that overlap Plan topics and will help the region reach multiple goals are described below in some detail including who is to carry out the initiative, time frames for completion, and funding sources. Additional implementation priorities follow. A compilation of all the chapters’ key initiatives in matrix form for easy reference is found in Chapter 2.
Project Name: Regional Community Facilities Official Map
Project Description Based on Article IV of the PA Municipalities Planning Code, the four municipalities will prepare and adopt mapping of desired community facilities improvements including a regional trail system and other recreation features and future municipal water suppliers. This effort will be carried out at the same time as a mapping of approximate road improvements as delineated on the Transportation Improvements Map found at the end of Chapter 4. All of the mapping will be made part of an Official Map that will be adopted by the region’s municipalities.
129 Responsible Parties Conoy Township, Elizabethtown Borough, Mount Joy Township, and West Donegal Township officials.
Time Frame for Project Completion Zero to two years from the time of Comprehensive Plan adoption.
Funding Sources Pennsylvania: Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Land Use Planning Technical Assistance Program (LUPTAP) Local Municipal Resources and Development Program (LMRDP)
Project Name: Regional Water and Sewer Service Assessment
Project Description The latest evaluations of current water and sewer service capacities of the facilities serving the region’s municipalities illustrates, in some cases, potential demands for service outstripping current capacities such that well before the year 2020 action must be taken to curb demand or increase supply. A detailed, parcel-by-parcel assessment of potential demand over the next fifteen years will be conducted for each water and sewer service facility serving the region. This assessment will be conducted in concert with the future growth projected by this Regional Plan’s future land use map. Given the uncertainties of the current economy, this is especially necessary for an honest determination of facility needs. Ultimately, the assessment could result in the following
130 recommendations:
• Ensure systems’ interconnections are made where reasonable to enable resource sharing especially during an emergency.
• Where it is determined that service capacity is sufficient to meet demand beyond 2020, no further action may be required until close to the year 2020.
• Where it is determined that facility expansion is the appropriate and reasonable method to satisfy demand in excess of capacity, planning for that expansion will be completed no later than the time that demand reaches 90% of facility capacity.
• Where it is determined that facility expansion is unreasonable and inappropriate, future land use classifications and zoning will be adjusted to moderate future growth so that demand does not exceed supply by 2020.
• Dialogue will continue with highest ranking officials with the PA Department of Environmental Protection to ensure continued consistent application of the Chesapeake Bay Strategy to the region’s sewage treatment facilities. This assessment will generate utility demand and capacity relationships that will fold into annual water and sewer planning that is conducted by each Authority in the region. It will also trigger, as necessary, appropriate action to ensure future growth that is in balance with facility capacities.
131 Responsible Parties Municipal and Authority officials and staff, key business and community organizational partners
Time Frame for Project Completion Within two years after Regional Plan adoption
Funding Sources Pennsylvania: Department of Environmental Protection Department of Community and Economic Development
Federal: US Department of Agriculture/Rural Development
Project Name: Fire Service and Emergency Response Providers Support Feasibility Study
Project Description The rising costs of vehicles, gear, and equipment, increasing demands on volunteers’ time, fund raising challenges, increased state training and credentialing requirements, and less flexibility for volunteers to leave work to respond to emergencies threaten to gradually eliminate the volunteer fire and emergency response services in Pennsylvania. To effectively manage these trends and their impact on the volunteer services in the region, the region’s municipalities will join together to evaluate the feasibility of these and other approaches to bolstering fire and emergency response services in
132 the region:
• Paid administrative/management staff
• Dedication of the Municipal Services Tax revenues
• Fire tax
• Incentives to employers to allow volunteers time away from work for emergencies
• Live-in staffing arrangements
• Paid responder personnel during the work day to supplement volunteer response
• Paid bonuses for achieving certification levels
• Further regionalizing of services and/or equipment
Responsible Parties Municipal officials and staff, fire and emergency response personnel, key employers and organizations; key assistance from the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services.
Time Frame for Project Completion Within five years of Regional Plan adoption
133 Funding Sources Pennsylvania: PA Emergency Management Agency/PA Office of Homeland Security PA Department of Community and Economic Development
Project Name: Trails/Non-Motorized Pathways Connectivity (see project description, how it will be implemented, the purposes for segments of the trail, how it is intended to connect current and future facilities, and other details found in the Chapter 5 Transportation Implementation Priorities).
Other Regional Priorities
• Prepare a water budget and groundwater availability analysis. Such an analysis will guide the management of the region’s long term water supply needs, particularly projected significant water withdrawals from any one use. The analysis will look at the region’s overall water supply account including recharge, withdrawals and in-stream flow needs, and
supply storage. It will provide an assessment of the total volume of water withdrawn from and recharged to aquifers serving the region. The region’s municipalities recognize the importance of such an assessment given that according to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, this region is close-by to regions already under aquifer stress (including the Hershey area) and zones of predominantly diabase hydrogeology, typically a low yielding unit, along the region’s northern boundary.
• Cooperate with the Commonwealth’s assessment of potential
134 identification of Chiques Creek Watershed for Critical Area Watershed planning so as to coordinate growth management and the region’s key aquifer recharge zones.
• Develop a local parks inventory for the region, including a breakdown of existing park types (neighborhood, community, regional, etc.) in each municipality and the service area of each park facility. Use the inventory to identify areas of the region that may be underserved, where new park facilities are needed, where existing and new school district facilities can be coordinated with regional needs, and where new park facilities can be coordinated with future growth.
• Work individually, cooperatively, and collaboratively with other organizations to expand the region’s inventory of athletic fields to meet the increasing need for more. Include plans for new and improved regional and municipal park facilities on the Community Facilities element of the Regional Official Map described above.
• Elizabethtown Borough will regularly budget improvements to Hickory
Park based on its approved Master Plan.
• Conoy Township will work individually and cooperatively to make improvements to the Northwest River Trail and its related features.
• West Donegal will discuss an agreement with Masonic Village for public use of its lands on West Bainbridge Street including the Patton Campus land and pursue use of the Waste Management land adjacent to the Township building and Willowood Park.
135 • Mount Joy Township will development a plan for improvement of its newly acquired property between Beverly Road and the Conewago Trail.
• Work cooperatively with the Elizabethtown Area School District to coordinate future residential growth with the sitting of school facilities such that those facilities are provided with convenient and safe pedestrian oriented access.
• Continue to work with GEARS to coordinate recreational programming that most effectively meets the needs of the region’s residents.
• Expand cooperative efforts among the region’s three police departments in order to most effectively allocate personnel and equipment to best meet the special demands of regional residential growth, downtown redevelopment, new and current industrial activity, and unique populations of the Elizabethtown Area School District, Elizabethtown College, and Masonic Village.
• Explore the practicality and logistics of establishing a regional recycling facility. • Support efforts of Elizabethtown Area School District, Elizabethtown College, and Masonic Village to enhance the current level of public use and enjoyment of their facilities, services, and programs.
136 Consistency with Lancaster County’s Comprehensive Plan
In its assessment of infrastructure issues, and its determination of steps to be taken to address those issues, the region concentrated on two primary aspects. First, matching infrastructure capacity with community needs. Second, efficient provision of community services. The region’s municipalities have participated in cooperative regional service arrangements (police, water, sewer, recreation, ambulance) for a number of years and are exploring other intermunicipal cooperative opportunities. Taken together, this chapter and the Future Land Use chapter of this Plan concentrate on taking into account services and facilities capacities and costs when making growth projections, zoning decisions, and other land use management calls. This interconnected approach parallels these livable communities’ policies in Revision: “Ensure that public infrastructure and facilities and services are expanded concurrent with new development” and “Develop regional organizations and facilities that efficiently provide services such as police, fire, and emergency assistance”. Similarly, the County’s growth management element Balance, calls for coordinated service provision and growth such as calling for “planning for public water service for remaining lands within Urban Growth Area(s)…” The region’s implementation priorities parallel those of Balance.
State Water Plan Consistency
The State’s Water Plan indicates that its next phase “should include increased attention to the development of water use projections in each watershed”. The Regional Water and Sewer Service Assessment and the water budget and groundwater availability analysis noted above will directly carry out this stated priority.
137 According to the State Water Plan, Chiques Creek watershed is undergoing final assessment for Critical Area Recharge planning. Support for this effort from the region will enable balanced, long term management of the location of the future growth desired by the region balanced with the location of the region’s water supply sources that will serve that growth.
The State Water Plan also notes that a major priority in the Lower Susquenhanna watershed is addressing impaired streams water quality. By promoting the use of best management practices for agriculture and urban development as well as applying riparian buffer standards to all new development, the region will be taking steps to implement this State Water Plan priority.
Interrelationships
Historically, the region’s community facilities and services have shaped the region’s development pattern and impacted the region’s prosperity. This trend is expected to continue in the future.
Easy provision of water and sewer to extended portions of the region’s municipalities has enabled residential development in particular to occur far from the core of each of the region’s municipalities. This pattern has placed a burden on other community facilities and services including public safety, recreation, schools, and the road system. As a result, the Strategic Plan emphasizes efficient community service provision that coordinates with designated growth areas. Further, community facilities capacities have not in the past matched up with demand, sometimes exceeding, sometimes falling short of what was needed. The region’s municipalities have committed to a detailed water and sewer demand study in order to properly balance water and sewer capacities 138 throughout the region. This is intended to insure that unwanted growth is not encouraged by unwise service extensions while at the same time water and sewer service adequately support current and future business activity.
In addition, the region recognizes per the Municipalities Planning Code that “lawful activities such as extraction of minerals impact water supply sources and such activities are governed by statutes regulating mineral extraction that specify replacement and restoration of water supplies affected by such activities and that commercial agriculture production impact water supply sources.” The region’s municipalities will promote in their land use ordinances the use of resource extraction best management practices to complement state requirements.
As the region has grown, the region’s volunteer fire and ambulance services have had to shoulder an increasing service load. At the same time, demands on volunteers’ time have exploded. The region’s municipalities intend to assess ways to assist the volunteers and assess alternative ways to meet those demands so that anticipated growth is sufficiently served.
Continued collaboration with the Elizabethtown Area School District, Elizabethtown College, Masonic Village, and numerous community organizations will help to meet the education, cultural, senior housing, and recreation needs of the region. The roadway and alternative transportation modes improvements are intended to serve these institutions as well.
The interdependency between the regional trail system and other regional issues are discussed in the Transportation, Economic Development, and
Housing plan chapters.
139 Chapter 8 - Natural & Cultural Resources
Overview Introduction
Implementation A wealth of natural and cultural resources adds greatly to the region’s quality of life. A rich historical heritage and various natural features have attracted Land Use many newcomers to the region. Public sentiment towards conservation of those resources has led to a number of unique initiatives in the region aimed at Transportation promoting, restoring, and protecting them. Similar attitudes in society at large have also resulted in resource protection requirements being imposed by others Economic upon the region. The continued challenge facing the region’s four municipalities Development is to balance the value that their natural and cultural resources provide with the Housing limitations that come with resource protection.
Community Facilities
Natural & Cultural Resources
Agricultural
Appendix
140 Strategic Natural & Cultural Resources Issues
• Public access to the Susquehanna River is highly prized. Conoy Township strives to keep access points open to the public.
• Certain waterways are not meeting designated water quality standards – stretches of Conewago Creek, Conoy Creek, Little Chiques Creek, and Donegal Creek fail to meet their designated water quality standards due to a variety of reasons. Total maximum daily limits for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment have been established by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) for the watersheds of these waterways that must not be exceeded. Any future use or development particularly impacting those stream segments will face strict state level regulations.
• Masonic Village’s stream restoration efforts may establish a model that encourages such resource restoration efforts for the long
term. Centuries of legacy sediments will be removed and 3,200 feet of the Conoy Creek’s floodplain that runs through the Masonic Villages will be restored and indefinite stabilization will be promoted with little or no required maintenance, improving local water resources, re-establishing wetlands, enhancing wildlife, making archaeological artifacts available for scientific study.
• The Pennsylvania Highlands, historical and archaeological resources,
local streams, rural lands, and the Conewago and Northwest River
141 trails form a green infrastructure that contributes significantly to the region’s quality of life. The 2008 Lancaster County Green Infrastructure Plan identifies a variety of priority new trail projects in the County including the Elizabethtown Spur (connecting the Conewago Trail to Elizabethtown Borough) and the Conewago Trail Extension (connecting the western terminus of the Conewago Trail to the Susquehanna River at Falmouth Village in Conoy Township). The Conewago Trail and this extension are to be part of the Pennsylvania Highlands Trail Network of the Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania multi-state Highlands Trail.
• Elizabethtown College and Masonic Village offer cultural and community programs that exist in few other parts of Lancaster County and give the region a competitive advantage in attracting new residents and businesses.
• The Chesapeake Bay Strategy is a key presence in the region as it is potentially affected by all forms of land use in the region, and in turn, impacts development activity and the region’s ability to meet its
sewage treatment and disposal needs.
Overall Goal
For development to take place in harmony with existing natural and cultural resources through the support, protection, preservation, and restoration of those resources.
142 Regional Natural & Cultural Resources Implementation Priorities
To reach the overall goal for Housing and to achieve each municipality’s objectives and strategies contained in the Appendix, the region’s municipalities identified steps and actions to be taken. Much of the region’s planning and analysis that led to the identification of the implementation actions took place during each municipality’s preparation of objectives for the Plan (found in the Appendix) and in part during Steering Committee meetings. The prospective use of Transferable Development Rights (TDRs) described in Chapter 3 will be used to help further the region’s resource preservation desires. Decisions to be made during the Zoning Lexicon implementation project described in Chapter 3 will also reinforce the municipalities’ preservation objectives listed in the Appendix to this Plan.
A compilation of all the chapters’ key initiatives in matrix form for easy reference is found in Chapter 2.
• Enhance existing Mount Joy Township TDR program to include TDR use for non-residential development.
• Enhance the region’s communities’ sense of place by limiting development outside of the designated growth area and coordinating community services with designated growth areas to preserve and strengthen the developed, rural, and natural character of the Townships while sustaining and enhancing Elizabethtown Borough as the core designated area of the region.
• Expand partnerships with Elizabethtown College, Masonic Village, and
143 the Elizabethtown Area School District to increase resident awareness, participation in, and enjoyment of college, village, and school district cultural activity programming.
• Collaborate with developers and others (forming partnerships, utilizing incentives in municipal zoning and subdivision and land development ordinances) to stabilize existing streams to assist and use for storm water management/storage, much like the Elizabethtown College and Masonic Village stream restoration projects.
• Participate in the Lancaster County Planning Commission’s “Lancaster County Heritage Byways” program to designate roads in the region with special significance. This program is intended to promote protection of roads that have “intrinsic qualities” (i.e., significant archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and/or scenic resources).
• Conoy Township will continue to apply the requirements of its building demolition, relocation, or removal ordinance which establishes a procedure for review of applications for demolition, razing, or removal of buildings so that the structural integrity of a building can be determined, that opportunities for continued use or adaptive re-use can be explored, the impact of the proposed demolition, razing, or removal upon the neighborhood streetscape can be determined, and the proposed plans for the site can be reviewed.
• Consider adaptive re-use provisions in municipal zoning ordinances (historic structure office, guest house, restaurant conversions) to encourage developers to save historical structures, use them within
144 their historic context, and retain their contribution to the region’s sense of place.
• Consider bonus density incentives to encourage retention of historic rural resource on a lot of sufficient size to reflect its historic context.
• The region’s municipalities will consider the adoption of elements of Lancaster County’s Historic Preservation Guidelines including structural and site design consistency guidelines, standards for alterations and additions, and village district standards in addition to demolition review and historic district provisions already in place for use in preserving, protecting, and enhancing the region’s historic features and their contribution to the region’s sense of place.
• Ensure subdivision and land development ordinance requirements satisfactorily preserve old growth forest and tree canopies.
• Encourage the use of native species in private and public landscaping within subdivision and land development ordinance provisions.
• Continue to promote the use of planted filter strips along waterways, low till/no till practices, no clear cutting along riparian buffers provisions, and other Best Management Practices to address water quality impacts associated with agricultural lands.
• Promote and consider adding to municipal land use ordinances provisions for runoff and storm water methods to protect groundwater in ‘karst’ geology including grassed swales, rain gardens, bio-infiltration,
145 wet bottom/wetland storm water basins, riparian buffers, pervious paving, minimizing paved surfaces, water quality storm water inlets, and fertilizer and pesticide management techniques.
• Consider heightened zoning or overlay protection for the numerous unique natural sites scattered across the region and identified in Greenscapes such as the Conewago Potholes in the Susquehanna River near Falmouth.
• Ensure that applicable zoning and designated growth areas direct development away from lands constrained by environmental features as depicted on the Environmental Limitations Map.
• Dialogue will continue with highest ranking officials with the PADEP to insure continued consistent application of the Chesapeake Bay Strategy to the region’s sewage treatment facilities.
• Discussions will continue with PADEP to determine how Mount Joy Township future development can occur with minimal impacts to the designated exceptional value wetlands along the Charles Run and unnamed tributary of the Donegal Creek.
• Encourage/support continued participation and conduct of the Main Street program and the Lancaster County Planning Commission historic resource inventory project in Elizabethtown Borough as tools to help preserve the Borough’s historic character.
• Build upon the Scots/Scot-Irish heritage to include those who came
146 later (Plain Sect) who also had a significant impact upon the region.
• Provide incentives to register property on the National Historic Register such as plaques, awards, etc. Consider financial aid through a revolving fund for historically correct façade improvement to properties identified in historic resource surveys.
• Improve air quality with appropriate transportation improvements that keep traffic moving and minimize idling time (i.e. roundabouts, yellow/red flashing traffic signals during off-traffic hours, traffic signal synchronization, turn lanes at intersections, radii enhancements).
• Expand Elizabethtown Borough’s Mural Program, a partnership of Elizabethtown Borough, the Elizabethtown Economic Development Corporation and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, where scenes of historical and cultural significance to the greater Elizabethtown area are illustrated on the walls of select buildings in the community.
• Review and revise the zoning ordinance to further promote the use of “time of day” shared parking, reducing the amount of impervious parking surface needed to accommodate the required number of parking spaces for individual uses.
• Reclaim/Reuse sewage treatment plants discharge water in industrial processes, to irrigate crops and pasture, and irrigate athletic fields as appropriate.
• Review and revise the zoning ordinance to encourage the use of
147 “green construction and renovation” including the use of recycled, reused, or sustainably grown materials, solar design and construction, permeable asphalt, grassed roofs and swales, riparian buffers and filter strips, tree lined streets, etc., especially as a tradeoff for higher density allowances.
• Encourage salvage of architectural features and all useable building materials.
• Review and revise set-back and side-yard requirements for infill in existing neighborhoods to retain the traditional pattern of building placement on a lot.
• Create regulations to allow village extensions that continue the existing street pattern to create the traditional grid pattern of interconnecting streets.
• Review and revise standards for signals and lighting to reflect the character of the era of the surrounding buildings and overall character of neighborhoods.
• Promote environmental sustainability within neighborhoods by encouraging/educating residents on environmentally friendly ways of living, such as recycling, water conservation, “gray water” re-use, storm water capture and re-use, use of renewable energies, emphasis on natural light, renovation of old buildings rather than tearing them down, and low-impact methods of transportation.
• Ensure that development complies with existing storm water including
148 infiltration, floodplain, wetland, soils conservation, hydrogeologic analysis, and on-lot sewage treatment regulations.
• Consider the PA Department of Environmental Protection’s model on- lot sewage system management ordinance to ensure proper operation of on-lot systems within the region.
• Participate in Greenscapes: the Green Infrastructure Element of the Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan action initiatives including information dissemination, partnership building, and greenway regulations adoption to help implement the objectives of the Green Infrastructure Plan.
• Carry out the regional trail system projects (see project description, how it will be implemented, the purposes for segments of the trail, how it is intended to connect current and future facilities, and other details found in the Chapter 4 Transportation Implementation Priority Trails/ Non-Motorized Pathways Connectivity).
Consistency with Lancaster County’s Comprehensive Plan
A number of the policies and principles of Revision and Balance will be carried out by this Plan. Balance states that “Historic, architectural, and cultural resources should be maintained and, where appropriate, adaptively reused as part of the reinvestment strategy”. The region’s implementation priorities including adaptive re-use provisions and participation in the County’s Historic
Byways program will help carry out this principle and maintain consistency
149 with the Heritage and Tourism elements` of the County Plan. Context- sensitive zoning and subdivision provisions to be considered by the region’s municipalities will also promote development that “respects and complements the patterns, character, and scale of the county’s traditional communities and rural landscapes” as highlighted in Heritage.
Further, the region’s collaborative efforts with Elizabethtown College, the Elizabethtown Area School District, and Masonic Village will help to achieve County livable community policies including: “Encourage existing communities to establish a central focus that combines commercial, civic, cultural, and recreation uses”, and “Ensure that the visual, literary, and performing arts are an integral part of community life”. Heritage also contains a goal of promoting conservation as an economic tool. The region anticipates generating such a result for itself by its natural and cultural resource protection efforts combined with the development of a regional trails system that will aid in displaying the region’s resources to visitors and residents alike.
Balance also states that “The integrity of natural resources should be preserved and, where possible, restored. Environmentally sensitive resources have been excluded from buildable lands and should be preserved as part of a network of open space and parks within Urban Growth Areas”. The intent for future growth to occur within a proscribed regional Urban Growth Area in the Future Land Use chapter and other initiatives contained in this chapter such as public educational initiatives and collaborative efforts with developers to restore sensitive natural features like the region’s waterways and wetlands will carry out this principle and maintain consistency with the Greenscapes element of the County Plan as well.
150 Interrelationships
Overall, the region’s natural and cultural resources significantly contribute to the region’s quality of life and attractiveness as a place to live. As noted in the Economic Development plan chapter, historic sites, waterways, the Pennsylvania Highlands, and other natural/cultural/scenic features attract visitors who frequent restaurants, overnight accommodations, and other local businesses while in the region. Those features also lead to visitors becoming residents who regularly invest time, energy, and money in the region. In addition, certain land use control and transportation initiatives are to be implemented as part of the Strategic Plan that will benefit the region’s natural and cultural resources. Adaptive re-use provisions for historic structures will assist in those structures’ renovation and preservation. Zoning and subdivision provisions including “time of day” shared parking, waterway buffer strips, and “green construction” will promote resource enhancement. Transportation related methods such as roundabouts, yellow/red flashing traffic signals during off-traffic hours, traffic signal synchronization, turn lanes at intersections, radii enhancements, trails, etc., will keep traffic moving and are part of efforts to enhance the region’s air quality.
151 Chapter 9- Agriculture
Overview Introduction
The region’s municipalities wish to support and continue the region’s long-time Implementation agrarian tradition. That tradition is one of the region’s quality of life factors making the region a desirable place to live. Further, ongoing local farming helps Land Use to moderate general economic downturns and provide a local source of food. The region’s municipalities can work together to manage growth in ways that Transportation preserves the best lands for farming while meeting goals for housing, economic development, and transportation. Municipal efforts will also be aimed at fostering Economic agriculture as a healthy part of the local economy. Development
Housing
Community Facilities
Natural & Cultural Resources
Agriculture
Appendix
152 Strategic Agricultural Issues
• Farm land and active farming have been under increasing pressure due to strong housing growth in the region over the past twenty years.
• Farm land and active farming are integral parts of the natural landscape of Lancaster County and the region helping to attract large numbers of visitors who’s spending positively impacts the local economy.
• Farm land and active farming combine with the region’s historical and other cultural features to create an identity and sense of place for the region.
• The combination of farm land and active farming with the region’s historical and other cultural features in the region’s rural areas outside of designated growth areas form the foundation of regional agritourism. The region’s rural areas must be protected from uses that do not relate
or contribute to a visitor’s appreciation of the region’s agricultural heritage.
Overall Goal
Preserve, protect, and support farm land and farming activity so that agriculture remains a vibrant part of the local economy and landscape.
153 Regional Agricultural Priorities
To reach the overall goal for Agriculture and to achieve each municipality’s objectives and strategies contained in the Appendix, the region’s municipalities identified steps and actions to be taken. Much of the region’s planning and analysis that led to the identification of the implementation actions and projects took place during Steering Committee meetings. The Future Land Use map in Chapter 4 reflects growth area choices and those agricultural lands to remain as such. The prospective use of Transferable Development Rights (TDRs) described in Chapter 4 will be aimed at furthering the region’s agricultural preservation desires. Decisions to be made during the Zoning Lexicon implementation project described in Chapter 4 will reinforce the municipalities’ agricultural preservation objectives listed in the Appendix to this Plan.
Key initiatives that overlap Plan topics and will help the region reach multiple goals are described below in some detail including who is to carry out the initiative, time frames for completion, and funding sources. Additional implementation priorities follow. A compilation of all the chapters’ key initiatives in matrix form for easy reference is found in Chapter2.
Project Name: Institute a Regional Transferable Development Rights program
Project Description The region’s municipalities will establish a regional TDR program to address multiple regional goals. The municipalities have identified active farming and productive farm land as a traditional business and resource which they wish to support and protect. In addition, growth management and targeted housing and economic redevelopment are shared objectives. A regional TDR program can 154 be used to carry out those things at the same time. With up to four municipalities involved, a regional TDR program expands the opportunities for TDR sale and purchase, giving TDR sending area landowners more value for their TDRs. Using existing TDR programs within Lancaster County as a starting point, the region’s municipalities will establish a regional TDR program including TDR valuation, identification of TDR sending and receiving areas, zoning ordinance revisions, and the mechanics of TDR purchase, sale, and registration. The program will also include an educational component for sending area landowners so they understand TDR values and their sale, conservation easement logistics, and tax and estate planning implications.
Responsible Parties Municipal appointed and elected officials with support from the Lancaster County Planning Commission.
Time Frame for Project Completion Within four years of Regional Plan adoption.
Funding Sources
Lancaster County: Urban Enhancement Fund Pennsylvania: Land Use Planning Technical Assistance Program
Regional Agricultural Priorities
• Ensure zoning ordinances direct non-agricultural land use away from
prime farmland including incentives to develop and redevelop within designated growth areas including Rural Centers such as Village Growth 155 Areas, crossroad communities, rural business centers, and rural neighborhoods.
• Use the Lancaster County Agritourism Guidelines to put zoning regulations in place that permit agritourism related activities (i.e., farm markets/stands, u-pick and cut-your-own operations, on-farm tours, farm-related interpretive facilities, farm overnight stays, outdoor recreation operations, horse stabling and riding) in keeping with public health and safety.
• Develop relationships with grocers, restaurants, and educational institutions to use and promote local products.
• Form a regional agricultural advisory committee to foster understanding of farming and agricultural production and to advise municipal officials on issues impacting agriculture.
• Continue to encourage the County Conservation easement program and the State’s Agricultural Security Act to preserve land for farm use.
• Ensure zoning ordinance includes provisions for farm-related on-farm businesses that are allowed to supplement farming income as a use subordinate to the principal farming use.
• Allow Cluster type development so that lot layout and design can be used to buffer and reduce close contact/friction between farming activity, noise, and odors and new residential development.
156 Consistency with Lancaster County’s Comprehensive Plan
A key Revision policy is to “Identify and permanently preserve farmland for agricultural use”. Ongoing private and public efforts to put farmland into permanent preservation status and regional implementation priorities including a regional TDR program, continued “effective ag zoning”, and a strong commitment to the region’s identified Urban Growth Area boundaries will all contribute to the achievement of that policy. In addition, efforts to reduce farming and residential use conflicts, on-farm business zoning, farm value awareness education, and other regional implementation priorities will help to achieve the sustainable economy Revision policy of “Increase the profitability of farming to ensure that it remains an integral part of the economy”.
Interrelationships
The “down economy” of 2008 – 2009 clearly demonstrates the connection between agriculture and the region’s economy. Farming and related businesses help to diversify the region’s economy and to buffer the region from the effects of otherwise sluggish economic activity. Working farms, farm markets, and the agricultural landscape serve as attractions to visitors, thus contributing to the region’s tourism industry. The region’s municipalities intend to pursue the various priorities listed above as ways to protect, preserve, and promote agriculture with these economic development factors in mind.
157